What is the best type of starter fertilizer to use on soybeans?
First of all, in contrast to corn, in which we get a very good response, soybeans seldom respond to starter as compared to broadcast fertilizer. The most likely reason for this differential between crops is the time of planting. We always wait until soils have warmed to plant, whereas corn is often planted in cold soils. Also, the rooting pattern for soybean is more favorable for them to contact immobile nutrients than is corn. With that said, and looking at your plans, I do see that there may be a small possibility that you might see a benefit from starter P. First of all your tests must be very low to require an 80 lb application and secondly, you will not be incorporating a broadcast application. If you were tilling the field at all, I would suggest broadcasting all of your P ahead of the tillage and then leaving off the starter. You indicate that you want to use liquid starter and place it with the seed. That will not be possible as all liquids P materials are going to contain N an
