Soil Application

Soil application is the most common method of providing fertilizer to the crop. It acts directly on the soil and can improve its fertility, which is the ability of a soil to sustain plant growth by providing essential plant nutrients and favorable chemical, physical, and biological characteristics as a habitat for plant growth. Organic and mineral fertilizers provide essential macro and micronutrients to the soil that plants use to grow and thrive. It is always better to use organic fertilizers because bringing organic substance and beneficial microrganisms favor the development and the health of the plants. It also helps to improve poor soils and to avoid excess of salinity in the soil (which is the main problem with chemical fertilizers). Organic fertilizers gradually release elements, so that nutrients are available with a rhythm that ensures the optimal absorption by the plant, decreasing nitrogen loss by leaching. Organic fertilizers providing organic matter and useful microorganisms (PGPR) also improve physical and biological characteristics of soil (structure, water holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, buffering capacity avoiding insolubilization of nutrients) and reduced soil erosion. Global soils contain 2 to 3 times more carbon than the atmosphere. The carbon stored in the soil contributes to stabilize the climate but also to ensure food security.

After calculating the dose of fertilizer to be used for a given crop, it is necessary to decide how and when to distribute it in the field.

In relation to the time of distribution of fertilizers, there are three different applications:

Basal fertilization (pre-planting): for tree species it is performed just before planting. The aims of this intervention are to build an adequate reserve of organic matter and integrate the supply of elements such as phosphorus and potassium.
Pre-sowing fertilization: it is carried out for annual herbaceous crops before sowing. The application is generally followed by tillage to incorporate the material into the soil.
Top dressing: it is carried out during plants development. This intervention aims to meet the needs of the crop at the moment of maximum absorption of mineral elements.

The distribution of fertilizers can take place in different ways:

Broadcasting: it refers to spreading the fertilizer evenly over the soil surface with or without working it into the soil.
Localized placement: it refers to applying fertilizer in a band, hole, or half-circle near the seed row or plants. In annual herbaceous crops is common to localize fertilizer in subsurface band at planting close to the seed row. In cool, wet areas this kind of application (starter application) boost seedling growth.

Many Hello Nature biostimulants are suitable for soil application such as microbial biostimulants which are able to increase nutrient availability and nutrient use efficiency, solubilizing soil nutrients and increasing root absorption area or vegetal protein hydrolysates which increase nutrient bioavailability in the soil and stimulate rhizogenesis of plants increasing root absorption and nutrient assimilation processes at the cellular level.

The best nutrient program and placement for your plants depends on the plant type, soil nutrient content, crop’s root structure, precipitation, and other factors. Hello Nature offers a wide range of organic fertilizers and biostimulants to maximize crop productivity and at the same time preserve and restore soil quality in a sustainable way.