As growers begin planning for the upcoming season, building a crop nutrition budget is a critical step in protecting yield potential while managing input costs. In today’s Agronomic Minute, Dylan Rogers, Sales Account Manager for AgroLiquid, shared guidance on how to prioritize fertility dollars for maximum return on investment.
Rogers recommends starting with historical yield data. Understanding your orchard’s baseline production helps establish realistic nutrient demand and provides a foundation for building a balanced fertility program. Nitrogen and potassium are typically the backbone of most programs, as they play major roles in vegetative growth, nut development, and overall crop performance.
However, Rogers cautioned growers against automatically cutting micronutrients when tightening budgets. “Micronutrients are probably the first to get cut,” he said, but in some cases, they may be the true limiting factor. If zinc, boron, or other micros are deficient, simply maintaining nitrogen and potassium rates may not deliver the expected yield response.
Soil and tissue samples should guide spending decisions. By identifying recurring deficiencies or nutrient imbalances, growers can allocate dollars where they will have the greatest impact. In some situations, investing in targeted micronutrient applications may generate more return than increasing already sufficient macronutrient rates.
Zone-based nutrition is another way to improve budget efficiency. Not every block performs the same, and some areas may require different inputs. By managing blocks individually based on soil and tissue data, growers can avoid overapplying fertilizer in areas that don’t need it while focusing resources where deficiencies exist.
Rogers emphasized that listening to what the trees are telling you through data is key. A thoughtful, data-driven approach to budgeting helps ensure every fertilizer dollar contributes directly to yield and long-term orchard health.
For more information on crop nutrition planning, visit AgroLiquid.com.