Fertilizer solutions.

While V.A. Tiedjens was probably best known for his work which showed soil pH readings to be a very poor indicator of the amount of calcium needed in a particular soil type, he was also one of the pioneers in the development of fertilizer solutions applied directly to foliage.

Tiedjens found when fertilizers were applied in a dry form only a fraction of the available elements eventually became available to the plants through absorption by the roots. The rest may be weathered, leached away, not made available due to inadequate moisture or root contact. He reasoned that if this smaller fraction (from one-tenth to one-fourth) were applied in solution to the plants themselves, all of the elements in the solution would be immediately available. However, he noted his experiments showed this worked efficiently only when the amount of calcium in the soils had been brought up to his recommended amounts, and once this was done, the need for further fertilization might be significantly reduced.

The amount spent on initial application of limestone, prorated out over perhaps 10 years, and the savings in using much smaller amounts of fertilizer in solution could result in significant savings per acre each year over traditional application of dry fertilizer.

Tiedjens recommended fertilizer solutions be applied when the plants are full of water, such as very early in the morning on a cloudy day or during a light sprinkle. This facilitated the uptake of the elements by the plant leaves. This is the leaf absorption concept used for many herbicides and the same type of spraying equipment can be used.

Tiedjens also pretreated seed prior to planting with fertilizer solutions.

Tiedjens' discussion of fertilizer solutions versus dry fertilizer can be found in Chapter 10 of his book, More Food From Soil Science, which is available for $13.00 postpaid from Grower's Fertilizer Solutions, 321 Huron St., Milan, OH 44846. Additional information on foliar feeding can be obtained from Energy Research of America, 404 Prairie, Worthing, SD 57077.

Country Manufacturing, P.O. Box 104, Fredericktown, OH 43019 sells a 14 gallon poly tank sprayer with 12 volt pump which covers a seven foot wide path for $239.00 plus shipping. It can be used to apply herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers.