Maximize Your Starter Fertilizer with Nitrogen Stabilizers
Jan 15, 2025
Applying starter fertilizer at planting is a critical step to give your crops a strong start. But did you know that adding a nitrogen stabilizer to your starter application can help you protect your investment and ensure nutrients stay available for your crops? At Innovative Ag Services, we’re here to help you understand how nitrogen stabilizers work and why they’re a smart choice for your fields.
What is a Starter Application with Stabilizers?
A starter application refers to the initial application of fertilizer, often done at or just before planting, to provide essential nutrients for young crops. By including a nitrogen stabilizer in your starter fertilizer, you can protect your nitrogen from being lost to environmental factors like heavy spring rains or soil microbes.
Nitrogen stabilizers slow the conversion of nitrogen from ammonium (a more stable form) to nitrate (a more mobile form prone to leaching or denitrification). This process ensures that nitrogen stays in the soil and remains available when your crops need it most.
Why Use Stabilizers in a Starter Application?
Using a nitrogen stabilizer in your starter application offers several key benefits:
- Reduce Nitrogen Loss: Early in the season, heavy rains and warming soil temperatures can lead to significant nitrogen loss. Stabilizers protect your nitrogen from these risks.
- Prolong Nutrient Availability: Stabilizers slow down the nitrogen conversion process, keeping nutrients in the root zone longer.
- Boost Early Crop Growth: With more nitrogen available, your crops get the nutrients they need to develop strong roots and healthy shoots from the start.
- Increase Fertilizer Efficiency: Stabilizers help you get the most out of your fertilizer investment by ensuring more nitrogen is used by your crops instead of being lost to the environment.
- Support Sustainability: By reducing nitrogen loss, stabilizers also minimize the environmental impact of farming practices.
Get the Right Stabilizer for Your Fields
At Innovative Ag Services, we recommend trusted stabilizer products like Instinct® and N-Serve®. Our agronomy experts will work with you to understand your fields, soil types, and application timing to find the stabilizer that’s right for you.
Unlock Your Farm’s Potential with IAS
A starter application with a nitrogen stabilizer is just one of the many tools you can use to optimize your crop yield. At Innovative Ag Services, we’re committed to helping you get the best return on your fertilizer investment while protecting your fields and the environment.
Stop by your nearest IAS location or talk to your agronomist today to learn more about how nitrogen stabilizers can work for you!
Learn more about our agronomy services here: https://www.innovativeag.com/agronomy