Fertilizer question

[Jeff H]

I stopped by the farm, home and seed store yesterday to pick up my garden veggies and thought I would get a bag of fertilizer for my clover plots. I found a bag of Oakley 6-24-24 and when I got to the register the young man tried to talk me out of it. He said that the Oakley fertilizer would not be as good as the other that they had since it was not "homogenized ". He went on to say that the Oakley fertilizer would take as long as 2 years to transfer the fertilizer to the plants and that the "homogenized " would transfer immediately.
FWIW the homogenized fertilizer he recommended for my clover was 13-13-13.
Am I missing something here?

 

[dogdoc]

Don't rrally know what he meant by "homogenized", unless he was talking equal amounts of the active ingredients. He is correct in that it does take the phosp, and potassium a while to leach into the soil-unlike the nitrogen. However, the 6-24-24 would be the best choice for broadcasting in an existing clover plot.

 

[Jeff H]

Don't rrally know what he meant by "homogenized", unless he was talking equal amounts of the active ingredients. He is correct in that it does take the phosp, and potassium a while to leach into the soil-unlike the nitrogen. However, the 6-24-24 would be the best choice for broadcasting in an existing clover plot.

The way I understood it homogenized fertilizer is available immediately whereas the standard fertilizer was not. Being that he also recommended 13-13-13 I took what he was saying with a grain of salt. But I'm also curious to know if any part of what he said is valid.
I figured someone here would know.

 

[OkieKubota]

Most clover plots are fertilized with P and K in the fall for just this reason...that way by spring everything is good to go and it makes a big jump...

Having said that my clover plots are multi purpose and are disked under in the fall to make way for radish and WR and WW. I put the seed and usually triple 19 fertilizer down and drag it in and pray for rain. The White clover always comes back in with a vengeance along with everything else but once it gets really cold the clover is fairly dormant and once the deer eat everything down over the winter we start getting some warm days and the WW WR and Clover make a big jump and I usually end up having a really good clover plot most all summer again and I start the process over the next fall...keeps food on the table rear around and all the stuff I have listed works great in our rocks...

 

[Vandy]

I was always told 6-24-24 is what you want for clover plots. Still learning so take it with a grain of salt

 

[Charlieyca]

This winter my local mill owner and I had a conversation about fertilizer for clover. His thoughts and experience (late 70s) said any perennial legume planting with excess nitrogen will essentially shorten its lifespan. Excess nitrogen will increase weeds that want to crowd out your clover and negate one of the best benefits of clover, that it adds nitrogen to the soil. He said unless clover showed signs of struggling (yellow, spindly leaves) he personally would not fertilize a clover food plot. If he was to fertilize, he said 0-10-10 or 0-20-20.

 

[Jeff H]

This winter my local mill owner and I had a conversation about fertilizer for clover. His thoughts and experience (late 70s) said any perennial legume planting with excess nitrogen will essentially shorten its lifespan. Excess nitrogen will increase weeds that want to crowd out your clover and negate one of the best benefits of clover, that it adds nitrogen to the soil. He said unless clover showed signs of struggling (yellow, spindly leaves) he personally would not fertilize a clover food plot. If he was to fertilize, he said 0-10-10 or 0-20-20.

This seems very logical to me. I have no problem keeping my bag of 6-24-24 till fall. If I can locate 0-10-10 or 0-20-20 I'll buy it and lightly fertilize this Spring. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Jeff H]

I'd still like to know if there is any validity to "homogenized" fertilizer.

 

[Rickey]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...x73Xk_8xpeuIFRU3A&sig2=j28cRVlqo1kW1tA5ARYTGA

 

[X-farmerdan]

I worked, albeit long ago, in the fertilizer business for over 20 years and have never heard the term 'homogenized' used. When I read the post I thought to myself, "I wonder if....."
Today all I see are blended fertilizers. Some white prills, some gray BB's and some red or white chunks. Three or four fertilizer types (ingredients) mixed together. There's always been some argument about the spread ability of blends since the different types (Urea, triple superphosate, & potash, for example) are different densities and particle sizes. I think we've effectively debunked that theory.

I remember a time before blends. The ingredients like TSP, and Potash were (and maybe still are) ground to minuscule size and then glued, or bound together. Then, the N side of the fertilizer was sprayed onto the pellet. We called it ammoniated fertilizer. 10-10-10, 5-10-10, 10-20-20. Little gray bb's. Homogenized fertilizer? I guess maybe you can see the thinking. Finer particles are more readily available to the plant, consist size for spreading perfection. I don't think the theory holds up to science....or economics.

Or, I might just be full of 'organic fertilizer.'