We have a couple small plots we're going to put out this year. One we did year before last and had great results with soybeans. One is a new spot. Both are between .3 and .5 acres. I did a soil test on new one but I'm not confident I'm reading it right. Could someone help me to know what I need for a plot just under 1/2 acre?
Those recommended numbers are pounds per acre of N, P and K. The numbers on fertilizer bags are the percent of N, P and K that is in the bag. Ex. a 50 lb bag of o-o-60 has 30lbs of K. ( 60% of 50 lbs = 30 lbs ).
If you are going to plant beans in a .5 acre plot they are recommending 34.5 lbs of P205 and 54 lbs of K20. So, 2 bags of 0-0-60 will get it done for the K in your plot.
So what about P? Should I look for something like 0-20-60? Would it be bad to use something with N in it?
Yes you should look for something with P in it and no it is not bad to something with a little N in it.
I don't know where you shop for fertilizer but I go to an Ag co-op. It is usually cheaper and has a larger selection.
That's where I got my soil test from, my local co-op. That's where I was planning to get lime and fertilizer too.
Hey GregH, what about lime? The ph didn't look that horrible to me, but it says 1.5 tons p/acre. Not sure how I'd get that much to these spots
Well, that means 1500 lbs for the .5 acre plot ( 30 x 50 lb bags). I remember the great fun I had toting all those bags to my small, in the woods plots. I bought something like 70 bags and brought them home in my truck and a trailer. Then I carried 10 bags at a time in my Rhino utv. It was a work out for sure as I spread them all by hand. I couldn't pull a trailer with the utv because of my steep hills. If you don't have big hills a trailer will work for you. Just a note for you. Once your ph is brought up...... it will last for years. At least mine did. Another thing is that one plot on my land, on lower ground, was part of a larger crop field that I leased to a crop farmer. He never put lime down. The plot is 3 acres. When I took it over the ph was much worse than yours. It was 5.2. I've been meaning to lime it but have not gotten around to it. I want to hire one of those big trucks for the job. Just so you know, I have planted corn, beans, sunflowers, chicory, brassicas and clover on that ground and had great results with the ph being what it is.
