Washington soil update

It’s GO Time! As we were out taking soil temperatures around the valley this week, we found readings of 46ºF - 47ºF in many locations. It’s important to remember that once your soil temperature reaches 45ºF the trees are beginning to wake up and ready for soil treatment applications to begin.

Soil temperature is one factor that affects when plants awake - not directly, but as a contributing influence. Typically, the first sign of trees breaking dormancy is bud swelling. This happens because of internal turgor pressure as a result of rootzone awakening. Just because this happens out of sight in the soil, and often goes overlooked, doesn’t mean it is insignificant. Once the rootzone is awake, the plant follows suit. Feeding the rootzone with the right nutrients will give you a competitive advantage.                          

Early season soil fertility can vary by crop, but every crop should be started with Phosphorus. For this to be plant usable, it needs to be orthophosphate, and ideally, in a lactate form. Based on WSU research, lactate-bound nutrients are highly plant absorbable even in cool soil temperatures. Let’s talk about your Spring Fertilizer Program.

Here’s to your crops’ success!