Manage Soil Health to Maximize Your Fertilizer Investment

When trying to supply proper fertility and nutrition to crops, it is easy to overlook several factors, including the influence of soil characteristics and nutrient interactions in the soil. These factors can affect the availability of both soil-applied fertilizers, as well as nutrients naturally present in the soil. Challenges with availability are common across the United States, and are present in one form or another on nearly every farm. Soil testing is critical in order to identify which factors are influencing individual farms and fields. If left unaddressed, nutrient imbalances can limit uptake and reduce the efficiency of soil-applied fertilizers, thus reducing the return on the fertilizer investment and limiting yield.  Protecting fertilizer applications and ensuring maximum availability and uptake of soil nutrients is of utmost importance.

The most common issues identified by Helena’s AGRIntelligence® precision ag services in the U.S. include light texture and low cation exchange capacity (CEC) soils prone to nutrient leaching, high clay content and high cation exchange capacity (CEC) soils prone to nutrient tie up, as well as high or low soil pH, high magnesium and sodic soils. These impact your crop’s potential in several ways. Imbalances in soil pH can lead to a drastic decrease in the availability of phosphorus, as well as a host of micronutrients. High magnesium levels can antagonize potassium uptake and lead to compaction and crusting through its impact on soil structure. Elevated levels of salts and sodium can lead to soil crusting issues, and if high enough, soil remediation may be necessary. The soils’ CEC (both high and low) should also be taken into consideration when managing fertilizer inputs. Soils on the lower end of the CEC range pose a significant risk of leaching mobile nutrients. Those soils on the higher end of the CEC range can trap applied nutrients in clay layers, rendering them less plant available.

Managing these issues is part of a grower’s year-round program to maximize profitability, and a systemic approach can ensure the greatest possible outcome. Helena recommends adding Resurge®, an exclusive, low-dust humic granule, to your fertility program. Resurge helps growers maximize their soil-applied nutrient investment with the highest-quality humic ore source available. It breaks down quickly in the soil and holds nutrients in the root zone longer for plant uptake. Resurge improves soil structure, increases water holding capacity, increases nutrient availability, and improves drainage. Applied at the proper rate and time, Resurge will work to reduce the impact of many of the conditions listed above.

To learn more about Resurge, contact your local Helena representative or authorized dealer.