At Establishment

• Introduction to Soil Fertility for Forages
• Starter Fertilizers for Forage Crops
• Inoculation of Legumes
• Summary

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Summary

At establishment the fertility program should deal with any last minute small adjustments in soil fertility and any requirements for getting the plants established such as a starter fertilizer. If the soil fertility goals were met in the pre-establishment phase little or no fertilizer or manure should be required at establishment. In general, forage crops do not respond to starter fertilizers unless the conditions at planting are very adverse. The most important aspect of fertility management for establishment of legume forages is proper inoculation to assure adequate nitrogen nutrition of the crop.