Is it time to turn a new leaf with fertilisers

If you’ve never considered Foliar Fertiliser before, now is the perfect time to try. Biome Connect takes us through the key considerations.

One option that farmers might not be aware of, is the role foliar and placement fertilisers can play in reducing cost.

Farm efficiency is key to reducing costs on farm and with fertiliser prices so high, every unit of fertiliser needs to be accounted for. 

Apart from being a more sustainable choice for the farm, foliar nutrition has a number of other key benefits including cost savings, maintaining or improving crop yields and improving efficiency on crop health.

Here are our top 5 reasons for using Foliar Fertiliser on your grass and crops this year. 

1. Enhanced Efficiency
Foliar Fertilisers have almost 100% uptake of nutrients whereas with soil fertilisation there can be as little at 5-15% uptake. This ensures less wastage and more direct plant nutrition.

2. Cost-Effective
Farmers can save money on fertiliser costs by reducing granular use and introducing foliar fertiliser. Because foliar fertilisers get right to where they are needed on the plant and at the right time, there is little to no waste as with granular placement.

3. Root Development

Dr Nino Rossi, from the University of Bologna says "The treatments with foliar fertilisers often stimulate the formation of additional root systems, longer and deeper compared to untreated plants. This better development will, in itself, result in a utilisation of a larger soil volume, as a result of which, a greater absorption of water and nutrients from the soil is possible. These two types of absorption, via the leaf and the root, therefore work together in a positive way." (1)

4. No Scorch, Leaching or Volatisation

The high polymer content of our foliar fertiliser products mean zero scorch and none of the leaching or volatilisation associated with solid, granular fertilisers
 

5. Maintains or improves crop yields
Studies have shown increases in potato crop yields after using Foliar Potassium over granular application. You can learn more about the 2020 Oxford Agriculture Trial (OAT) trial here https://agro-vital.co.uk/bladkali-ts/

Biome Connect, supply a number of Foliar Fertiliser products throughout Ireland.

Efficie-N28-t 

► Urea based foliar foliar nitrogen fertiliser

► Slow release - over 4-6 weeks

Using 20 litres of Efficie-N28-t can do the equivalent work of 148kg of CAN per hectare while maintaining or improving on yields and it also allows the farm to lower its nitrates contributions for a lower environmental footprint. 

Efficie-N28-t provides an almost 100% uptake where every unit of Nitrogen can be accounted for.

P-Focus

P-Focus is a liquid N-P-K placement fertiliser ideally formulated to promote strong, early rooting with much greater efficiency than granular fertiliser products. With a very low salt index, P-Focus can be applied directly onto seeds or seed-potatoes for direct access to nutrients without damage. 

“A recent trial in potatoes has shown that using smart liquid fertilisers can significantly reduce the amount of phosphate required to generate one tonne of yield when compared to traditional granular fertilisers.(2)” 

John Swire

SpleNdourK

SPleNdour-K is a plant-friendly liquid foliar fertiliser providing an efficient N-P-K source with added sulphur and zinc.

Nitrogen and potash are supplied as a polymer to give phased release in an easily-used form. Phosphate is in the orthophosphate form for direct use. Sulphur (1.3% w/v) available in the polysulphate form and manganese (0.64% w/v) and zinc (0.64% w/v) are chelated to ensure quick uptake by the crop.

Bladkali TS

Bladkali is a Foliar Potassium fertaliser with added sulphur Crop Nutrition exactly when it is needed! (Equipment safe, No Scorch) Potash is generally applied to the seedbed but is not required in large amounts until the crop is actively growing, usually months later on. Potash applied as a solid, salt-based fertiliser (e.g. muriate of potash and sulphate of potash) is highly soluble and might not be retained by the clay-humus complex. Once in solution, the potash salts can cause damage to the seed (by drawing out water), damage to the microbiome and damage to the structural integrity of clay particles.

Bladkali TS is a foliar fertiliser (0-0-25 & 42% SO3) that is crop (and soil) safe that can be applied tank-mixed with a spray programme – this means that the potash is targeted directly to the plant exactly when it needs it most.

Why use Foliar Fertilisers

Foliar Fertilisers allow nutrients to be targeted to the plant exactly when it needs it the most ✔  

Biome Connect Foliar Fertiliser range is plant and soil safe with no leaching or volatisation ✔  

They are cost effective, environmentally friendly, efficient and can help maintain or improve yields ✔  

View the Biome Connect Foliar Fertilisers range here to find out how you can reduce costs on your farm.

(1) SOURCE: Assorbimento di elementi e concimazione fogliare. Nino Rossi, Istituto di chimica agraria Università di Bologna, Agronomia 14/2000 p69-73

(2) SOURCE: John Swire- https://www.aafarmer.co.uk/uncategorized/liquid-fertiliser-offers-sustainable-choice-for-potato-growers.html