Soil Test - Fertilzer blend & amount

bhouston

Senior Member
I got my soil test results back this week. I have 280 acres in Johnson County and have 9 acres of food plots spread over 8 plots. Smallest is 1/10th acre up to largest is 5 acres. I have taken soil samples in each plot and have 8 separate results/recommendations. Good news - all but one is 6.7 - 6.9 ph. As for nutrients - there are varying amounts and mix of N-P-K recomended for each food plot. Question - do I average all the results and apply one blend of fertilizer to all plots..? or, do i distribute in accordance with the blend for each plot..?? (lots more mixing). If the answer is one blend across all fields - the average is 50-75-75 (as lbs per acre). What is best bag blend to use..?? Thx all.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
One blend ..... 19-19-19 if you can get it.
 

bhouston

Senior Member
Fertlizer

Canuck - Thx.
But not sure I understand. If I get 50lb bags of 19-19-19 - that would be 9.5 lbs of N, 9.5 lbs of P, and 9.5 lbs of K. So to get 50lbs of N per acre, I would need 6 bags of 19-19-19 - which would be 47.50. This works for the N, but then I would only have 47.50 lbs of each P and K when it was recomemnded that I spread 75lbs of each. I know that food plotting is more like horeshoes since we arent harvesting for food quality - but seems to be way off. I would have thought something like a 10-20-20 blend would get closer..?? What am I getting wrong..??
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Canuck - Thx.
But not sure I understand. If I get 50lb bags of 19-19-19 - that would be 9.5 lbs of N, 9.5 lbs of P, and 9.5 lbs of K. So to get 50lbs of N per acre, I would need 6 bags of 19-19-19 - which would be 47.50. This works for the N, but then I would only have 47.50 lbs of each P and K when it was recomended that I spread 75lbs of each. I know that food plotting is more like horeshoes since we arent harvesting for food quality - but seems to be way off. I would have thought something like a 10-20-20 blend would get closer..?? What am I getting wrong..??

You're not getting anything wrong (except a little math). If you call around and find out what is "bagged" and available to you, then you can run this calculator to figure it precisely. Or if you can get a company to blend it specifically for you.

http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/soil/fertcalc/

On 9 acres, if you put down 300 lbs/acre of 19-19-19, you'd have a wonderful crop. If you went with the proper mix, you'd have an even better crop! But it all costs money. You're probably looking at buying around 2700 lbs of fertilizer to put down.

I am a big proponent of soil testing, to give me guidance on improving the soil ph and adding the minerals my plants need to transfer from the soil in to the deer, for the best deer health I can afford. I personally do not always hit the fertilizer requirement numbers the soil test recommends.

If you went with 300 lbs/acre (3 x 19 = 57) of 19-19-19, you'd put down 57 lbs of each, which in my books, is a good compromise. Next year when you soil test, you will likely find that your requirement for P & K is less, because the deer do not eat everything and lots gets returned back to the soil, for the next crop. Nitrogen is important, because it turns the plants amino acids into proteins, which is what they need.

Just trying to make things easy on yourself, and you would never be able to see the difference. Probably save you a little money too. Fertilizer is acid and the more we put down, the more lime we'll have to add a little later.

Make sense?
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Just for grins and giggles, I ran the calculator, assuming you could find 0-10-10, Urea, Map and Potash. It made my head hurt and would add complexity to trying to get it mixed right. If you had a fertilizer company that you could call up and tell them what you wanted, that would be a whole lot easier and what farmers typically do.
 

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Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
The first line, you'd have to put down 873 lbs (vs 300), then the second line you'd put down 277 lbs (vs 300) and the third line, you'd put down 269 lbs, (vs 300), but it would be a compromise.
 

bhouston

Senior Member
Canuck5 - understood. Clearly you put the whole food plotting gig in better perspective for me. Thanks.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
Good! :) Don't want to over think, some things!
 

Ihunt

Senior Member
Just remember, we are feeding deer and trying to make it attractive to them. We are not growing for maximum yield.

Just get the 19-19-19 and call it good.
 

misterpink

Senior Member
Canuck had spoken! Ive learnt so much from these guys on here. I can't say thanks enough. They make me look smart when I regurgitate all they have taught me to the guys at my camp.

From my experience you will never see the difference because the deer are going to keep it mowed to a nub anyway.

Good luck. Dont forget to rain dance!
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
Just for grins and giggles, I ran the calculator, assuming you could find 0-10-10, Urea, Map and Potash. It made my head hurt and would add complexity to trying to get it mixed right. If you had a fertilizer company that you could call up and tell them what you wanted, that would be a whole lot easier and what farmers typically do.

One blend ..... 19-19-19 if you can get it.

I been a CPA almost 30 years and I knew it was best to just stop right here. ^ :bounce:
 

Triple C

Senior Member
I'm with Canuck. 250 to 300lbs of 19-19-19 per acre and you will grow some awesome plots! Even 200 lbs per acre will grow some amazing plots based on your ph balance.
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
I'm with Canuck. 250 to 300lbs of 19-19-19 per acre and you will grow some awesome plots! Even 200 lbs per acre will grow some amazing plots based on your ph balance.

^^^^^^ Yup!!
 

Canuck5

Food Plot advisor extraordinaire !
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