Targeted fertilisers are the answer
The importance of playing the long game for better nutrient management is the key to soil and crop health. This is the message from John Joseph speaking in March's issue of the Midland Farmer. Reconsidering his crop nutrition choices has helped improve his farm business and soil health. Better nutrient management was key to his being crowned ‘Farm Carbon Toolkit Soil Farmer of the Year in 2025.“
"Our margins were tightening, our yields were very stagnant, if not declining, and our soils were unhealthy. We were at risk of increasing inputs and getting less return, which was putting the business in financial uncertainty."
The practise of blanket application of fertiliser is actually very inefficient. This is an issue that the “Nutrition Done Differently” team have been discussing at length this year with the launch of Triplex. The common practice of effectively ‘carpet bombing’ fertiliser dramatically affects the pH of the soil and therefore its overall health. The key decision was to feed the crop with exactly what it needed rather than applying the whole crop with a generic fertiliser.
Careful targeting of the soil and crop with minerals and foliar treatments made sure the crops had access to the range of nutrients they needed to withstand pests and disease. It is clear that this way of working was extremely beneficial. Foliar feeding boasts 90-98% efficiency compared with granular at 60% at the highest.
The importance of soil health cannot be understated, so targeted nutrient fertiliser based on soil or sap analysis is the best practice to follow. This is exactly what we do at Nutrition Done Differently and the Triplex machine. This targeted approach, where you only use what you require, is needed now more than ever!
John Joseph in March’s edition of the Midland Farmer magazine
