- Store mineral fertilizers in special storage rooms, with an inscription on each type of fertilizer. If you do not have a special storage base, use sheds and storage rooms without leaks, waterproof floors and raised above ground level to a height of 30-40 cm. Dig ditches around the warehouses for safe drainage.
- Proper use of mineral fertilizers leads not only to their efficient use, but also to the prevention of soil and water pollution.
- Check regularly that the mineral fertilizers you have used have not expired. Do not overstock with fertilizers for this purpose.
- Prepare a fertilization plan for each field, taking into account the type of soil, its fertilization, the type of crops and their predecessors, the type and structure of crop rotation, the slope of the terrain, the amount and time of manure application.
- Regularly adjust the fertilizer spreader and check the trace of the fertilizer. Aim for a deviation factor of less than 20%. For example, conduct field experiments that show how the mineral fertilizer is spread by the machine.
- Do not spread mineral fertilizers on too wet and frozen soil, in strong winds, near wet areas and along field boundaries.
- Monitor the nutritional status of crops by analyzing plants during the growing season as a means of accurate dosing of imported fertilizers.
- Apply fertilizers differently, depending on the differences in nutrient content in different areas of the field.
- Fertilize with phosphorus and potassium in the fall and remember that they have a consequence period of 3 to 5 years, so it is not necessary to import annually.
- Do not fertilize unilaterally (mainly with nitrogen). Crop yields may increase, but this is at the expense of quality and lower digestibility of phosphorus and potassium, which are accumulated in the soil or imported with manure.
- Observe the specified N: P: K ratios in order to achieve full absorption and higher economic effect.
- In order to achieve better absorption of nitrogen and protect the soil and water from contamination, with a fertilizer rate exceeding 120 kg of active substance nitrogen per hectare, it is recommended to divide it in two – up to 1/2 apply pre-sowing or before planting, and the rest feeding part. The same applies to light and sandy soils and on terrains with a slope of more than 6 degrees.
- In areas without vegetation, nitrogen fertilizers are applied by burying them immediately by cultivating, disking or plowing to reduce ammonia evaporation and increase the fertilization effect.
- To achieve compliance with fertilization standards and even spreading of the fertilizer, adjust the fertilizer spreader before starting to apply the fertilizer.
