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Little River, TX | The Liquid Fertilizer Industry in Australia seems to like liquid over dry.
Oklahoma had a program where they applied phosphate fertilizer to alfalfa, in several modes. One annual application of 100 lbs/A, annually. Another was 200 lbs preplant and 200 lbs top dressed every other year. The final was 600 lbs preplant. As an after thought they "strip tilled" in 600 lbs using 10-34-0.
Total production for the 6 year trial the 600 lbs up front produced more total tons of alfalfa hay than the annual or semiannual applications. Then the after thought the deep banded 10-34-0 produced enough extra alfalfa to pay the extra cost of liquid phosphate.
At different states and different people found much the same but with broadcast, surface banding, and deep banding. There the results were mixed. The only constant was banding the fertilizer out produced broadcast, but with some the surface banding out performed the deep banded, "strip tilled".
The advantage of banding comes with soils that have a surplus of calcium. The higher the calcium levels the greater the advantage for banding the phosphate fertilizers. This is a very reasonable system for anyone with high pH, high Ca soils.
You pay your money and take your choice.
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Liquid fertilizers???
