Using extra inputs to compensate for poor soil conditions has its limitations.
Here’s a primer to help you sort out how far this strategy can take you
by KEITH REID
“I know conditions weren’t quite right, but I couldn’t wait any longer. What should I do now to make up for it?”
This is a common question anytime we have been pressured for time and went to the field despite poor soil conditions. The culprit may have been a wet harvest season, a late spring combined with a full manure tank, or even making that first pass with the cultivator just to keep up with the neighbours. Whatever the cause, the end result is a compacted, crusted or cloddy seedbed, with a much-reduced ability to provide nutrients and water to the crop.