Secret recipe through the seasons

Secret recipe through the seasons

There’s a lot to be said for a fertiliser which does double duty, giving an instant boost of nitrogen to promote autumn growth, followed by the slower release of sulphur.

That’s the verdict of King Country sheep and beef farmers, George and Sue Morris who followed advice from their Ballance Agri-Nutrients representative to give PhaSedN a try.

The product is a granulated combination of SustaiN, elemental sulphur and lime. While the nitrogen offers an immediate boost to pasture, the elemental sulphur delivers a long-term supply of sulphur. It is an ideal combination where there is a high sulphur need such as sandy, peat and pumice soils or if there is high rainfall or a high risk of sulphur leaching.

In the Morris’ particular case they farm on pumice flats and sedimentary hills which are low in sulphur, making PhaSedN a perfect match for their needs.
“We achieved notable pasture growth results with a blend of 100 kg of DAP and 50 kg of PhaSedN per hectare applied in late autumn. Applied to our rolling and flat pasture, it gave us excellent cover during winter, but we also noticed that grass growth continued into summer,” said Sue Morris.

“Finishing lambs achieved excellent live weight gains and we were surprised at the continued pasture performance going into December and January.”

“The dry summer was hard on grass growth in many regions. With winter just around the corner, many farmers will be considering pasture and feed volume. At a time when budgets are being scrutinised farmers need to know a product will work for them, and this one certainly does. We will be applying it again this month,” she said.

Ballance Science Manager Aaron Stafford said autumn maintenance programmes are underway around the country now.

“Farmers are looking to promote grass growth ahead of winter and planning nutrient applications now. Having the added benefit of a slow release elemental sulphur means that sulphur is held in reserve until the soils warm in spring – which is when clover needs it,” he said.

On dairy farms PhaSedN is suitable where phosphate levels are high and no further applications are required, but sulphur availability needs to be maintained or increased. It can also be applied to effluent blocks where tactical sulphur and nitrogen is needed.

On hill country the product is suitable where there is good phosphate fertility but applying a combination of sulphur and nitrogen can be beneficial or where organic sulphur levels are low (< 8) and where soils have a low-medium anion storage capacity (ASC <60).

ENDS

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