Fertilizer question

9njunkie

Member
Hey y'all got a fertilizer question for ya.

We have an old field that has never seen any real applications of fertilizer/ lime.

Plowed it last year, planted rye. This spring we sent soil samples off to university for analyzing. Field is exactly one acre. Analysis came back and recommended 150 pounds per acre application each N P and K. Also recommended 1000 pounds per acre lime for what we are planning on growing this year,(pumpkins).

Just curious what products y'all might recommend for something that is lacking so much.

Thanks
 
I may not totally understand your question, but I'd go talk to your local fertilizer dealer. In a normal field setting they would just load up a spreader for you. With that little maybe they would bag it somehow and just spread it with a broadcaster on an atv or similar. A half ton of lime isn't a large volume.
 
I deliver fertilizer,sometimes spread it. You would be better off using a broadcaster. To small a plot for a buggy spreader You could use 50 pound
bags. You need to take your soil sample and information. To a fertilizer company or local feed store. They can advise you on the correct mixture and
pound rate.
 
Argh, wrote you a message, looked something up, and my text went away. I had some time in it too.

Pell lime will work fast but only last a year, regular lime will work in 6+ months and last 5+ years. You are a little late for regular lime, but a 1/2
ton isn't that much so it's not critical.

19-19-19 you would need about 800 lbs of fertilizer, to come up with 150 lbs of each. 16 bags. There are other blends, just need to mix to get
your results needed.

A cone spreader on a 3pt would work well, a lawn spreader would do it if not afraid of a little exercise..... That is quite a fair amount of P and K,
your soils are depleted so don't skip it! I'm surprised they need that much N for pumpkins. You could get a P and K blend and get that spread
now, and then add some N through the the season, or anyhow 1/3 way through the season. It's actually a little late to get the K on, the P should
get on, and the N is the one that can leach or float away, could spoon feed it slowly through the year. Lots of options, more than a person can
list.

The easy button answer is get the 19-19-19 spread it and work it in. Each bag is worth 9.5 lbs of each nutrient.

Paul
 
If your just raising pumpkins you don't want to broadcast fertilizer you want to hill or row fertilize.
 
Hey Paul

Thanks very much for the info that's exactly what I'm looking for for information. We have a bulk fertilizer place here but they usually don't feel like wasting their time with small farmers but will accomadate us small folk if we come to them and tell them directly what we need and all they have to do is throw it on the truck.

Basically I was looking for what's the best all around product and how much. Now I can call in my order and just go pick it up. It's a shame that these companies are getting too big to deal with us small folks.
 
We planted our pumpkins with row 10ft. apart and 8 to 9 FT between plants in rows(hill planted). We found that be got better yield with hill
fertilizing compared to broadcasting fertilizer. Pumpkins like a fertilizer of a 5-15-15 or 8-24-24.The first number is the nitrogen content
of fertilizer. If the nitrogen is to high you will get nice plants but a low yield of fruit.
 
You have much better pumpkin experience than I do, so....

I was thinking of 'banding' fertilizer as we do with corn often, place a richer band of fert right near the row of corn and use 1/3 less fertilizer (P and K). That would save some. But - don't pumpkins get some extra roots along the vine to suck up moisture and nutrients, would those suffer in his probably very low soil nutrients? I'd want things built up a bit with broadcast, and in future years could go with the banding idea?

As well fertilizers have a salt residue, and you don't want too much salt too close to the seedling and then the roots as things grow. If one wanted to band 150-150-150 (or 150-100-100 I guess) one would have to be careful to keep it far enough away or apply several times a year to let the salts flush out?

P and K isn't lost when added, as long as you own the ground you can use it some day so the broadcast is probably a good first year deal.... I too am surprised by the N recommendation, seems high.

Paul
 

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