“Growing a better crop boils down to doing a better job of managing the big 3 — sunlight, water and nutrients,” says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist. While varying inputs isn’t exactly easy, understanding your crops’ daily needs and the basics about nutrients and water makes it manageable.

If you value the benefits starter fertilizer offers, you might like the performance of a starter fertilizer relay system even more. Farm Journal Test Plot data from 2019 to 2022 show a relay system + 2x2 placement = $36 per acre ROI.

In a vertical farming environment, residue might hamper uptake, surface cover slows soil warming and most cover crops raise the carbon penalty. Knowing that fertility is a balancing act, consider these timing and placement tips for phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen.