Liquid fertiliser is becoming increasingly important in farming. But why do farmers rely on liquid fertiliser although the nutrient content is comparable to that of solid fertiliser?
Jannis Wagner consistently relies on liquid fertilisation. Eight years ago, he converted his 400-ha farm with affiliated contracting business in the Limburg-Weilburg district to liquid fertilisation. Why? Because he was dissatisfied with traditional mineral fertilisers – uneven populations, strip diseases and wasted potential convinced him to strike a new path.
“Back then, we realised that the population at the field boundaries and corners were always worse than in the rest of the field”, Jannes remembers. “And we wanted to do better!“ So he started to experiment with liquid fertiliser. The final step was made when the old sprayer had to be replaced. Thus, it was clear: “Good bye mineral fertiliser – we convert completely to liquid fertilisation!”
With the new HORSCH Leeb 7 GS sprayer he got started. He is particularly thrilled by the high application rates and the flexible use of the crop care sprayer – both is essential for implementing liquid fertilisation and crop care.
Boom control played a major role with regard to the choice of the sprayer: “Our terrain is very hilly with a lot of stones. And the HORSCH boom control system convinced us. The machine has been working faultlessly for eight years – no repairs, no breakdowns. That says it all!”
For liquid fertiliser application, the largest possible droplets are ideal. They do not wet the leaves but roll off to avoid burns. So the appropriate nozzle technology is important.
In the beginning, Jannis relied on drag hoses but quickly reached some limits: “With changing application rates, we constantly had to change the metering covers – simply not practical.” Then he discovered streambars – the perfect solution. With them, he can flexibly combine fertilisation and crop care measures without having to change nozzles or hoses. Moreover, the streambars apply the liquid fertilizer at low pressure. The jet produced contains large droplets that roll off the plants onto the ground. The risk of burns, thus, is minimized.
“Liquid fertilisation is brilliant – but logistics have to be right!” Jannis and his team found an optimum solution:
This is how he manages to achieve the efficiency of mineral fertiliser – without its disadvantages.
And today? Liquid fertilisation is standard!
Jannis now uses liquid fertiliser for almost all crops – only maize receives a solid fertiliser input at the beginning. The mixture of AHL and ASL in a ratio of 1:4.6 has proven successful for the farm.
And if the sprayer will eventually be replaced? “Then we will definitely buy a HORSCH again – probably an 8 GS with larger tyres for even more soil protection.”
