Fall is a good time to apply dry phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers because of lower workloads, drier soils and greater fertilizer availability for the spring planted crop. This fall, in the face of higher fertilizer prices, many who apply fall fertilizer are trying to figure out how they can get the most bang for their buck out of that application, and some are even wondering if reducing their fertilizer rate makes sense in light of the current farm economics.
It's practical to fertilize this fall to meet the anticipated needs of next year's crop, taking into consideration local recommendations based on soil tests. Reducing fertilizer rates can potentially increase an existing problem, namely the limited availability of nutrients from applied fertilizer in the first season after application. Only about 10-30% of applied P and 20-60% of applied K is typically recovered, or used by the growing crop, in that first season.
To get the most utilization out of dry fertilizers, many farms turn to Titan XC as a tool to maximize fertilizer efficiency without requiring a big investment. This is important whether a full rate or reduced rate of fertilizer is applied.