Spring fertiliser – the key considerations

Dr Philip Creighton joins Ciaran Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss some of the key factors to consider for fertiliser application this spring. Philip discusses some of the challenges this spring and the delay in fertiliser application. With both environmental and economic considerations, he outlines the importance of waiting until soil temperatures and ground conditions are suitable before applying fertiliser at the moment. He then discusses the options for farmers looking at split applications, how much to spread, where to target and why lower covers may be better suited to FYM or slurry applications. He also highlights the importance of soil fertility in terms of responsiveness of swards to spring nitrogen. Finally, Philip talks about fertiliser choice for the first round and subsequent applications and the need to match grass demand. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/