Reference sheets available for fertilizer rates

At the closing of each growing season, growers start thinking about the next year, and soil testing is an important part of that planning. The Montana State University Extension Soil Fertility Program recently released two online reference sheets to help growers interpret soil test reports and calculate fertilizer rates.

Extension’s “Soil Test Interpretation” reference sheet can help growers determine how soil test levels impact plant production and whether levels are low or sufficient by MSU standards.

If there is no recommended rate or the lab does not use MSU guidelines, then the soil test values are used to calculate fertilizer rates. The process is outlined at https://landresources.montana.edu/soilfertility/soilscoop/ss_FertCalc.html