How much fertilizer for wheat?

jon f mn

Well-known Member
Thinking about planting wheat this year and wondering what I should use for fertilizer. This will be on land that had corn last year and was hay for 20 years before with no fertilizer so its kinda run down. Soil ranges from gravely to heavier sandy clay. Just wondering what most of you use for fertilizer?
 
I recommend a soil test. Any suggestions will be a guess. Your local seed/fertilizer dealer will get it done for you.
 
An answer from the seat of the pants will be marginal or wrong. Look at the soil conditions on the land. If it is fairly uniform in composition and drainage, one sample from the most typical place will do. Take the sample to your county extension service for analysis. Soils testing will provide accurate measurement of nutrients and micro nutrients needed to support the wheat. Jim
 
That doesnt tell me whats required to grow wheat tho. I have a pretty good idea whats there which isn't much, but what will it take to grow it.
 
100 lb of N per acre for 40-50 bushels. Also depends what you are planning to do with the grain. If you short on N both yield and protein will be hurt. Some years protein loss will hurt more at the elevator than the yield loss. If for feed use it is not as critical.
Click
 
Thanks for the link, I was looking at that earlier. I thought those recomendations were for winter wheat and was wondering if spring wheat was the same.
 
As below, take some soil tests, and they will give you recommendations for wheat next year, and whatever crop you are following wheat with.

A lot depends on where you are located, and what type of wheat you are growing. Here in eastern WI, you can grow 100 bu wheat on 70 lbs of N pretty reliably.
 
Put on 250# of urea last year. Didn't rain till July and the wheat was planted in April. Made about 30 bushel to the acre....no wheat ever again. Takes more than fertilizer to get a good crop. 3-4 years ago it made 65 bpa and was worth $8.60, this year $4.80.
 
Ideal soil tests for wheat will be somewhat higher for P and to a lesser extent K than say corn. A lot of that is determined by the soil test. If this field was hayed for 20 years and no fertilizer applied, odds are it is low, and would respond to something.

Again, talking to an agronomist would be smart... preferably one who isn't going to sell you the fertilizer, and one in your neighborhood. That way he'll know what kind of wheat you are growing, the soil type, local management pratices, whether or not you are going to remove the straw. All of that plays into the decision.


Being this is probably winter wheat, you are going to want to put fertilizer down as soon as you can in the spring, so soil testing might be a challenge- the spreader should be rolling at or even before you want to soil test. You might want a "removal" number for wheat- how much P and K will the crop remove, and just apply that.

Last, wheat prices stink right now, so make sure if you need to spend money, you do it on the places that offer the most return. In today's farm economy, that might be "a return". :)
 
it dont take much to grow it... its what u want in the end result. basically more nitrogen equals higher yield along with the rest of ingredients like phosphorous and potash. as suggested,the soil sample will cover whats needed to grow for your end results. all depends on moisture and rain fall also.
 
For spring wheat. If you can spread a couple hundred pounds of potash now. Then spread a starter at planting, then topdress some nitrogen later would be about the optimum. Now Sow about 2-3 bushel per acre.
Wheat will use similar amounts of nutrients to corn just not as much. If you take the straw off you will remove quite a bit of the potash. Most of the nitrogen will come off with the grain.
 
Jon make sure you have a market for your wheat. I had a crop get a blight in it. Local mill would not accept it. I wound up selling it for hog feed. I simply used phosphate and potash, don't put on too much nitrogen, wheat can grow too tall and have a tendency to go down on you. Will you be seeding hybred or the old fashioned type. I seeded some hybred when it first came out years ago. It did a little better than the regular seed and I never had blight with hybred seed. I always took the filler bars out of my combine when doing wheat.
Good luck
 
My renter followed beans with wheat, The field had been limed and fertilized to test. The renter has two sons in the partnership. They applied no fertilizer at planting but on Dec 30 applied 45 60 60 I understand following beans adds 20 - 25 pounds N. I never question their judgment and they make me money every year for over 25 years
 
Don't know what seed to use yet. There is a market for wheat at a local miller. They are very particular about what they buy so I will have to ask them what they want. I know they only take spring wheat tho. I'm just considering alternatives to corn this year. I can do beans too, but don't have a bean head and have been having trouble finding one.
 
Last time I had wheat i put on 100 units of 28% over the top in ltet Feb. Yielded over 100 bu. Forget what the pre-plant was. This is using Becks wheat.
 
On Winter wheat I disc in the fertilizer per the soil test before I plant. When it freezes sometime in February I put on a 100lbs of urea,then in early spring I have the coop put on fungicide and 28. I have real good luck doing the split application,wheat is not worth much around here but I can sell straw and make my money.
 
What brand of bean/wheat head are you looking to buy?

I have a JD 213 that I used for both wheat and beans. email is open.
 
Do you need the fungicide if there has never been wheat on the land? How much total N do you generally use?
 
Jon ,You are thinkin spring wheat Rite ??? ,,.. We only grow winter wheat here in Southern Ind ,so i can only tell how we do ,... I have sown it as cover crop Hay as late as rite now . Ideally we start sowing ,drilling Sept 15th -nov 30th ,.. 150 lbs 9-23-30,.. GET Your LIME upto 6.4,.. dont hurt to have TOO much Either ,.. ,. starting mid feb thru april 15th ,,..50-125 tops for urea,. No more than that if you dont want lodging trouble .around then we go after weeds and onions ,,should start combinin june 20th -july 30.. we try to double with beans, before july 10th
 
Soil test. I use 18-46-60 starter on my wheat ground. You don't get it all out in that first crop so you want to be careful about doing fertilizing on rented ground if you aren't renting long term. It really just depends on your soil.
 
I have an older case combine.
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(quoted from post at 00:54:41 01/14/18) Don't know what seed to use yet. There is a market for wheat at a local miller.
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One thing you need to know, but was not mentioned by anyone: Best reason for a soil test is so you know the "PH" of your soil...the acidity level, which is corrected by any needed lime. Fert is not as effective if the PH is not at proper level. Only way to find that out is TAKE A SOIL TEST.
A soil test is like getting a road map for a new destination, Adding any lime is like tuning the motor. The fert is like adding clean oil and gas. Then maybe the motor will run properly as long as you do the applications and seeding at the proper times..

When frost is out and field is dry, grab a plastic pail (not a galvanized one) and a spade. Walk randomly over the field, taking small 4-6 inch deep slices (don't take soil from near a gravel road or some small spot where livestock used to stand for days), stir the soil good, put a sample in the bag you will have gotten from the fert dealer or county ag agent, or even that local miller. When you get the results back, talk to someone who knows more than you do on how to diagnose the results (anyone who does NOT know more than you is of no help to you, adding amateurs to the mix does not make it better).
LA in WI

PS Soil near a gravel road...all that dust from traffic will often raise the PH to high levels along that road, affecting the PH reading of the field average..

PPS SOIL TEST
 

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