Seed Hawk TOOLBAR 2015 - Manual (Page 46)

SEED HAWK ® 2015 TOOLBAR OPERATOR’S MANUAL 41
4.13 Placing Fertilizer with Seed
IMPORTANT! For the fastest and most even germination, Seed Hawk ® recom-
mends that growers should not place any fertilizer with the seed.
• Fertilizer placed directly with the seed will compete for moisture causing
slower germination and reduced plant counts (especially with pulses and
oilseeds). The only exception to this is liquid forms of phosphate.
• The Seed Hawk ® opener allows roots to grow into the fertilizer band very
quickly (within days of germination) so starter fertilizer is not necessary.
• When fertilizer is placed with the seed, blockage monitors will not sense a
problem with the seed flow.
• Our agronomists at Seed Hawk ® have carefully reviewed the Canola Grow-
ers Manual and other research. The have also seen evidence in fields, field
scale trials and their own trials, which indicates that placing fertilizer directly
with the seed a very risky practice.
• Many field agronomists recommend a starter fertilizer be placed directly
with the seed. We recommend that your field agronomist call our Seed
Hawk Agronomists before giving recommendations to place ANY fertilizer
with the seed on a Seed Hawk
® .
The Seed Hawk ® Twin Wing™ system is designed to place seed away from the
complete blend of fertilizer. However, if anhydrous ammonia or liquid nitrogen
is applied, there may be a temptation to blend dry or granular fertilizer with the
seed. High levels of phosphate fertilizer placed in close proximity to the seed
will cause seedling damage. Oilseeds and pulse crops are the most sensitive to
phosphate burn.