Soil Sulphur Restoration

The last 12 months have been some of the wettest on record. It is likely that this factor combined with the nutrients normally removed by cropping together with the increased straw removal this year will result in very low levels of residual soil nutrients – particularly sulphur.

Sulphur is such an important element and the amount needed for a healthy plant is about half of that of phosphate.  It is essential to improve disease resistance to pests and diseases and is an integral part of nitrogen assimilation which will help maximise nutrient conversion to maximise plant efficiency – and ultimately yield.

Fibrophos PK fertiliser contains up to 8% sulphur (as SO3) so is one of the best ways to restore the balance. Not only that but this competitively priced phosphate and potash fertiliser comes with a great range of other secondary nutrients and trace elements at no extra cost.

Contact your local distributor and ask for Fibrophos PK Fertilisers and replace all the nutrients required for healthy crops and maximum yield.

Straw offtake and Phosphate replacement

Higher straw prices have encouraged many farmers to bale and remove straw from the field rather than chop and incorporate it into the soil. This can lead to a depletion of valuable soil nutrients along with reducing soil organic matter.

It is really vital to ensure that the phosphate and potash removed in the straw is replaced. This will make sure that the following crops have a sufficient balance of nutrient to support good root development to help establish a healthier crop capable of maximising yield and withstanding drought.

One of the best ways to achieve this is to apply a great phosphate and potash fertiliser such as Fibrophos. This all-round trace element fertiliser is competitively priced and enables you to apply all your nutrient requirements to fully complement your spring nitrogen applications.

Contact your local distributor and ask for Fibrophos PK Fertilisers and put back the nutrients lost to crop removal.

Carbon Declaration

A recent report has declared the carbon footprint for British produced Fibrophos PK Fertilisers are:

-0.49t (negative) *CO2e per tonne of fertiliser ex Thetford
-0.69t (negative) *CO2e per tonne of fertiliser ex Westfield

These figures, prepared by independent SLR Consulting Ltd over the 2022/23 period, demonstrate a positive carbon benefit (negative CO2) using comparisons with UK marginal electricity mix (natural gas turbine) and demonstrating the carbon benefit once spread to land as a fertiliser avoiding production of expensive and environmentally damaging inorganic fertilisers.

Figures are declared ex factory gate.

The energy produced from the combustion of predominantly poultry by-product biomass enters the national grid as 100% green electricity – displacing more damaging alternatives.

 

Alternative Claims:

One should be wary of figures quoted for alternative imported fertilisers. TSP for instance originates as rock blasted from the earth, ground to a powder to be acidulated with imported sulphuric acid only to be reconstituted to a granule and coated for easy spreading and storage. This is then transported to port to sea going diesel vessel before freight (eg from North Africa), discharge, handling, haulage and probable storage prior to potential further bag handling before figures are declared ex factory gate.

 

*Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent  (tCO2e)

Fertiliser planning to avoid yield loss.

We tend to focus on the big four nutrients of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur when we consider our fertiliser planning. A shortfall of any one of these can lead to the inefficient use of any one of the other nutrients. It is therefore critical that there is sufficient of each to avoid penalties in yield or crop health.

However, it is easy to overlook a number of other nutrients which – if they have restricted availability – can lead to sub-optimum crop performance. They often take the ‘back seat’ when anticipated margins look to be tight but it is something which should particularly concern you this summer having had months of high rainfall which will have leached away many of the soil nutrient reserves which previously we may have taken for granted. Remember also that wet soils can lock-up some micronutrients.

For instance research from 2023 (FMC) has shown zinc to be below the recommended levels for optimum crop health. Likewise over 50% of UK soils are showing a deficiency of manganese. Certain crops such as spring barley are particularly prone to manganese deficiency leading to potential yield losses if not corrected.

One of the key ways to resolve these deficiencies is to apply a good all-round trace element fertiliser such as Fibrophos. Not only will it supply your phosphate and potash needs at a competitive price but it will provide all the essential trace elements which may have been lost from your soils at no extra cost.

Why risk a yield deficiency, contact your local distributor and ask for Fibrophos PK Fertilisers and give yourself the peace of mind that you have replaced those nutrients lost to the recent bad weather.

Soil pH management – to help the Environment

Maintaining optimum pH in UK soils is known to be vital for increasing productivity and reducing input costs but by doing so will also help meet the increasingly stringent environmental demands of a sustainable future.

The Professional Agricultural Analysis Group (PAAG) suggests that 41% of arable soils are below the optimum of 6.5 and 57% of grassland soils are below 6.0.

Just a small deviation away from the target pH’s will have a significant impact on soil biology, nitrogen utilisation, uptake of key nutrients and the emissions of nitrogenous gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

Optimum pH ensures microbial activity functions at its full potential and improves the soil’s ability to mineralise key nutrients – so avoids expensive wastage.

Maximise the pH of your soils to minimise unnecessary loses to the environment and apply an all-round balanced nutrient-rich, environmentally friendly  fertiliser such as Fibrophos.  This will not only keep your P&K levels where they need to be but will also ensure that the trace elements are there to maximise yields and health of all your crops.

Fibrophos PK Fertiliser is carbon-negative at point of manufacture.

The challenge of spring crops with potentially wet soils.

There has been a huge reduction in autumn sown crops due to the very wet and generally poor sowing conditions last autumn. For those who are able to catch up with increased spring sowings there are challenges ahead.

It might be tempting to assume that these crops with their shorter growing season might require less fertiliser. However not only will many of the valuable nutrients be washed from the soil due to the high winter rainfall, but those crops sown this spring may not be getting the full rooting structure required to develop strong high yielding crops. This could be for a number of reasons including poor cultivated soil structures or just continued damp conditions.

Those crops with longer roots are generally more efficient – being able to tap down further to find essential nutrients. These tend to be the longer growing winter sown crops. Conversely spring sown crops and grasses will struggle far more.  It is therefore crucial that you give your plants the best chance and ensure that there are more than adequate nutrients available within reach of the root hairs.

This year above all is not the year to scrimp on your fertiliser applications, however tempting and logical it might appear to be. Furthermore, it is a stark reminder that applications of Phosphate and Potash should be maintained every year . We simply do not know what is around the corner.

Applications of Fibrophos PK Fertilisers covers all bases as it contains all the main nutrients required for growing, healthy profitable crops, with the exception of nitrogen.

Applying Fibrophos PK fertilisers at the rates recommended by your adviser will give you peace of mind that you have sufficient phosphate, potash, sulphur, magnesium and calcium plus a very wide range of trace elements enabling the growing plant to fully utilise any applied nitrogen to the optimum level.

Fibrophos PK fertilisers are priced competitively with comparable fertilisers but have the added bonus of all the extra important elements at no extra cost.   Not only that but Fibrophos is resulting from the production of green electricity so is a fully renewable UK produced fertiliser. Applied in bulk by experienced contractors requiring no environmentally harmful plastics, Fibrophos has truly great environmental credentials.

Contact your local distributor to get your soils back into shape this spring.

A fertiliser which delivers positive carbon savings!

Studies carried out by SLR Consulting, a private independent consulting company found that Fibrophos PK-Fertiliser and P-Grow created a significant carbon benefit to farmers when spread to land as a fertiliser.

Extensive work taking into account a very wide range of factors in 2021 based on feedstock types and their source, costs of energy production and the value of green electricity generated relative to alternative generation methods, showed very significant positive carbon benefits both in terms of the energy produced and the savings when used as a fertiliser.

Fibrophos/ P-Grow delivered an average saving of 0.53 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fertiliser.

The green electricity exported to the National Grid as a result of burning the natural fuels delivered a saving of 0.31 tonnes of CO2 per MWh

The figures are even more striking when one considers the negative environmental impacts of mining nutrients for alternative inorganic fertilisers in far off countries and the subsequent importation to the UK with its associated logistics and dockside handling.

Farmers in the UK can now make a positive impact to their farm carbon status by the use of Fibrophos and P-Grow on their land in the knowledge that actions have had no adverse environmental impact in other parts of the world.  The application of Fibrophos encourages and supports the re-using and recycling of finite Phosphorus and Potash resources.

 

Improving Soil Health

Improving soil health is top of the government’s agenda in the years ahead and with input costs rising rapidly it is essential to maximise crop production which can only be done when you soils are in tip-top health.

There are a number of factors which can improve the health status of your soils but reducing soil movement is key to reduced compaction which helps reduce loss of carbon.  This factor alone will lead to improved soil biodiversity, and will protect the air and water within the soil  -encouraging better crop establishment leading to lower input costs and higher yields.

Another key factor is having sufficient Calcium within your soils which holds the soil open to let water percolate more freely.

Magnesium also plays a critical structural role as it tends to disperse clay colloids when wet causing the soil to slump and become sticky.

So don’t ignore the value of these important often overlooked elements and consider their addition by applying all-round fertilisers such as Fibrophos and P-Grow when sourcing your phosphate and potash this year.

 

Contact your local distributor to keep your soils in good shape.

Managing P&K for Maize

 

The combination of high P&K prices and annual declines in residual soil phosphates are potentially creating a perfect storm for maize growers.

Traditionally, many maize growers have relied on large volumes of slurries and other organic manures but increasing environmental concerns make these inputs more tricky to manage.

It’s possible with continued soil nutrient declines and inadequate P&K supplied from manures that there may be insufficient to optimise establishment and deliver healthy, high yielding crops.

Soil sampling is critical to establish if your soils are at risk.

Any shortfalls in phosphate or potash can be simply rectified by adequate applications of an all-round fertiliser such as Fibrophos or P-Grow – while at the same time ensuring that your micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium and zinc are in balance.

 

Contact your local distributor to keep your soils in tip-top shape.