Smart Farming Solutions

If you are looking for ways to reduce fertilizer inputs, without affecting yield, here are a few tips:

1. Perform a soil test and based on the results, put only the recommended amount to match the plant’s nutritional needs.

2. Pay attention to pH. Depending on the soil pH, certain macro and micronutrients may not be available to the plant. Ensure that your soil pH is within the optimum growth parameters of the plant.

3. Ensure that you have plenty of available calcium. Calcium is not only essential for strong cell wall; it also regulates the uptake of other nutrients and greatly diminishes heat, drought and salt stress (soils with excessive sodium).

4. Take tissue samples throughout the plant’s growth cycle. Plants have different nutritional needs during stages of growth. It is better to spoon feed the plant with the needed fertilizer than to indiscriminately apply the standard NPK two or three times during the growth stage of the plant.

5. Consider slow release fertilizer. It may not be feasible for large scale farming, but it will ultimately save money for small home gardens, nurseries and turf. You can cut fertilizer use by as much as 30% with a quality slow release product. One of the reasons is that the nutrients will not readily leach out during a rain event. With conventional dry fertilizers, a one inch rain can practically wash out most of the fertilizer you may have put on the soil. Farmers typical over fertilize for this eventually, particularly if the type of crop they are growing precludes reapplication of fertilizer beyond a certain growth stage. Do your homework on the choice of slow release fertilizers. Sulfur coated is the cheapest but the least scientific in its release. Heat and moisture will affect the release time. So carefully plan for changes in temperatures and rain as the season progresses and adjust the ratio of slow release to conventional granular. The costlier slow release fertilizers are coated with polymers, which can provide up to 6 months of steady and precise release.

6. If you have already done all of the above and still want to decrease fertilizer use, here is the ultimate solution. It is called Quantum Growth. Quantum Growth is a scientific breakthrough in beneficial bacteria technology. It is the result of more than 30 years of research. What is unique about Quantum in the combination of bacterial strains, which not only can coexist with each other, but also the multi year shelf life even after opening. Among the bacterial strains are the nitrogen fixating ones, which take nitrogen from the air and transforms it to NH4+. Other strains fight harmful pathogens. Others retain soil moisture.

Growers, nurseryman and golf course superintendents who use Quantum Growth tells us they have cut nitrogen fertilizer by as much as 70% without compromising yield. Sod growers are reporting a noticeable decrease in nematodes; while others are greatly curtailing fungicide use.

Quantum comes in different formulations depending on the end use. It consists of living strains, which immediately work in the soil, unlike some competitors who offer dormant strains in order to have some shelf life.
For more information on Quantum Growth, log on to http://www.smartfarmingsolutions.com/. Do check out the phenomenal video. A picture is worth a thousand words.