Jumpstarting Your System with Fall Treatments

As we wrap up one of the driest summers we’ve seen in decades, we want to remind you of the importance of fall treatments for perennial systems. Aside from being an ideal time to apply biology, fall applications can be good logistically because we are generally a little less busy during this time of the year and weather is less unpredictable. Biological programs work well in the fall as the microbial community can grow until the ground freezes and then wake up early in the spring. It’s important to build back the soil structure that is degraded during a season of disturbance and harvest. Agriculture inherently disturbs the soil which is hard on the biology, especially fungi. Everything we do to grow a crop - tilling, pesticides, overusing salty fertilizers, grazing, driving, etc. - disturbs the soil.  The fall is a great time to bolster the system for the upcoming season.

Vern treated his grass / alfalfa field with a biological inoculant and a complex food source and biostimulant (fish hydrolysate) in the fall of 2020. He did not apply anything this spring, and even after an extreme drought year his grass is green in August with irrigation rates well below NRCS recommendations. During the height of the growing season he commented that his cover was so thick it was difficult to walk through. 

Coming in for the second grazing on Vern’s fields 

Adding a biostimulant, like fish hydrolysate, in your fall treatment program can also ease your spring management plan. Fish is a complex biological food source that stimulates your biology. Applying in the fall allows the biological community to get a head start in growth and nutrient cycling so that your soil life is ready to perform in the spring. Additionally, as an organic source of Nitrogen, fish will stay in the soil, waiting to be mineralized when the plant needs it.

Putting your field to bed with a fall biological application will build soil life and jump start your system for a healthier crop in the following season. This is all part of a well thought out biological fertility program. Ideally RLS can sit down with you and make a comprehensive plan that utilizes soil biology to improve your operation’s bottom line. Folks who do this kind of planning generally see positive results while saving on inputs. Managing for biology this fall can reduce your work in the spring and ease your 2022 budget.