A Day out Spraying Foliar Fertiliser
Article written by Shayne McNamara
A colleague recently spent some time with Rik Morris from RM Spraying learning about how some of the Rainbow & Brown foliar fertiliser products are used in the field.
RM Spraying is based out of Gore and applies foliar fertilisers to mostly dairy and sheep/beef farms in the area on a contract basis. He also sprays base minerals in liquid form for pre-calving during winter.
Rik has modified a 1,000ltr Tow and Fert and stuck it on the back of a Toyota Land Cruiser. This allows him to easily move around the whole Southland region and virtually tackle any type of terrain.
The day he was on board with him they were spraying urea and Rainbow & Brown’s Gibber 900. They filled up with some effluent from the farmers effluent pond using Rik’s own pump system, added the Gibber 900 and then topped it up with granular urea from the farmer’s silo. This was all taking place while the Tow and Fert’s mixing equipment was churning away at high speed. An exothermic reaction takes place and the pipes attached to the back of the tank actually start to freeze. Rik tells us the urea turns into a liquid within a few minutes and by the time he drives up to the paddock it is all dissolved and ready to spray on the pasture. He has also applied UAN, Fish IT, Nitrosol, R&B seaweed extract, R&B potassium humate and R&B amino acids through the Tow and Fert. In fact, he is happy to apply what the farmer wants. Everything is tracked using a system called “TracMap” and the client gets a copy of GPS data with the invoice. Rik charges out at around $20 per hectare and every Spring does a Gibb-Gro special of $25 per hectare which includes the gibberellic acid.
Foliar fertilising is now becoming a lot more popular due to the rapid nutrient absorption. Nutrients applied directly to the leaves are absorbed more quickly than when applied to the soil. This can be especially beneficial when plants show signs of nutrient deficiencies, as it allows for a faster response.
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