Fertilizer on soybeans?

Glenn Warner · Jun 5, 2012

hi guys,
We have planted our soybeans, about 80 acres ,I planted them with a drill , but a little different than last year . My drilling tractor broke down this year so had to use a diffent tractor . last year planted at 5mph by the meter on that tractor , and this year I planted at
3 1/2-3-3/4 mph by the meter on this tractor. My memory of last years planting had the bean plants about 2-2 1/2" between them. On the way home tonight I stopped at the first field we planted an found the beans up and growing about 2" tall and about 1-1 1/2 "apart. Seems awfully close to me, maybe I should have fertilized heavier.I broadcasted about 350 -375 lbs per acre of 6-24-24. Talk to me guys. Glenn

flying belgian · Jun 5, 2012

First of all, 6 inch or 10 inch spacing?

IaGary · Jun 5, 2012

Beans bush out more or less depending on how thick they are planted. So unless you have big gaps between the plants it doesn't make much difference if they are planted 250,000 or 140,000 population they will yield the same.

With that said they will use the same amount of fertilizer planted thick as the ones planted thin.

Bean plants adjust to population.

High population just wastes high price seed.

That is why most went back to rowed beans planted by a more precise meter. To save high price seed.

Gary

Glenn Warner · Jun 5, 2012

IH 5100 drill 7" spacing

tomNE · Jun 5, 2012

no worries; they will adjust. we never fertilize our beans; we just try to keep the phosphate level up. it'd be to late to get any good out of adding phosphate anymore this yr.

jm. · Jun 6, 2012

Glenn All you need to do is PRAY for rain. The beans will adapt if they get the rain they will make a crop.

Bill(Wis) · Jun 6, 2012

In 7" rows, 2.2 plants per foot of row will work out to about 168,000 plants per acre which is plenty. You'll have a good deal more than that which may cause some lodging. Soybeans do a lot of adjusting. I like to think of them as "smart plants". But there is a limit. Too late to do anything about it now. It'll be a good experiment. Let us know how it works out. When I first started raising soybeans, about 12 years ago, I planted in accordance with the seed company recommendations which was on the order of 226,000 seeds per acre. Those numbers were partly based on the estmated 85% germination rate the seed company posted plus some estimated emergence loss, weather losses, etc. I found that planting rate to be way too high because I was seeing a much higher germination and emergence/survival rate than assumed by the seed companies. I cut my planting rate back to about 165,000 seeds per acre with much better results. Some of my friends who plant in the thousands of acres cut their planting rates back to 150,000 seeds per acre this year. I'm watching.

jbp · Jun 6, 2012

Don't think it will make but very little difference except to your pocketbook for the extra seed used. Seed companies like to sell seed, they tend to recomend high seeding rates as it maks them more money.

A few years ago I had a new planter and the book was way off on the population chart. It was a square field and I ended up seeding all the way from about 200000 to a low of less than 120000. At harvest time it took the same number of rows to fill the combine tank from one side of the field to the other. This was using 30 inch rows.
Joe

Fertilizer on soybeans?

Glenn Warner

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flying belgian

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IaGary

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Glenn Warner

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tomNE

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jm.

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Bill(Wis)

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jbp

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