As spring approaches we are getting many questions on starter fertilizer. In the past, most of the questions revolved around the "maximum" rate of different fertilizer materials that could be placed safely with the seed. Now we are getting more questions on what is the lowest rate of fertilizer that can be applied with the seed and still get a starter effect. Lower crop prices and moderate to strong fertilizer prices have prompted questions on these low rates.

To give agronomists and growers an idea how far apart fertilizer particles or drops would be at low rates, we put together a few tables, which show the distance between fertilizer particles or drops of fertilizer at various rates. We also created a visual display of these tables on our web site. These displays show the actual seeds of several crops with dry or liquid fertilizer right with the seed. These displays are a great way to show growers a real view of the distance between the seed and fertilizer materials at several rates. University research has shown that to get the full starter effect, a fertilizer drop or particle must be within 1.5 to 2" of each seed.

We encourage you to go to www.agvise.com, click on “New - Starter Fertilizer Distribution Display”, and print out a full set of these displays. Having a full set of these displays on your desk will make it easier to explain to growers what happens when they try to get by with low starter fertilizer rates. You should have received an email from AGVISE telling you about these starter fertilizer displays on our web site. If you did not receive an email from us, please give us a call so we can get your correct email address. Please give our staff a call if you have any questions.