Will a fertilizer top dress pay off?

Canola fields may benefit from a top-dress application of nitrogen or sulphur (or both) if logistics and weather prevented the full recommended application of fertilizer at or before seeding, and if improved weather conditions (rainfall, for example) have increased the yield potential of the crop. If farmers decide to top dress, the ideal time for…

An in-soil band of nitrogen at the time of seeding is the “gold standard for efficiency” on the Canadian Prairies, says AAFC soil fertility specialist Cindy Grant. That said, a top-dress of nitrogen or sulphur for canola can make financial sense in some situations. They are: For nitrogen… —Growing conditions improve after seeding. If conditions…

June 11, 2013 Canola can benefit from a top dress of nitrogen or sulphur fertilizer if soil reserves are short and likely to prevent a canola crop from reaching its yield potential. “Ideally, growers want to have ample fertilizer in place at or before seeding so an extra top-dress pass isn’t necessary,” says Dan Orchard,…

We had two questions in the past week about top-dressing fertilizer after seeding. 1. How early is too early to top dress? Liquid nitrogen fertilizer can burn leaf area it touches. Does that mean early is better because small seedlings have less leaf area to touch? Or is waiting until plants are past the 2-leaf…