easymoney - 11/20/2023 04:41 I did a field for 9 years of very little applied for laser according to crop removal rate. After 9 years my phosphorus level stayed the same. But we are also bringing in cover crops and doing reduced tillage. When I asked local Agronomy how that's possible everyone just shrug their shoulders or said we have high phosphate levels in the soil. I asked if the theory of mining is true even with a high phosphate level it would have came down but it stayed the same. The soil scientist said that's very easy is that the soil life was maintaining the phosphate level. P is very easy for soil life to release from the soil. Buckwheat is a plant that can actually what we would say almost specialize in releasing phosphorus from the soil We are on grounds that you lime to maintain pH on a regular basis. Historically farming a piece of ground with full tillage and very little fertilizer would bring your pH down to a 5.2 area. After 9 years on this field my pH was still 6.4 and. Common Agronomy had no answer soil scientists explained that you're not oxidizing the soil from primary tillage and then you're not burning up your pH Potassium levels dropped in half. Soil scientists say absolutely because potassium is bound very hard to the soil and it's very difficult for soil life to get it to free up. The wedding and drying of the clay cycle is the biggest potassium releaser. At the same time we saw no potassium deficiency effects in the field. It is impossible to mine a field of P&K because the soil is literally made of it. But it is possible to make the nutrients unavailable or available depending on your farming practices.