To make sure that fertility and pH are adequate, take a soil test; and then apply lime and fertilizers at rates indicated in the current Illinois Agronomy Handbook.
Because it can be expensive and inefficient to add all of the necessary fertilizer at one time, the handbook recommends breaking this process into four yearly steps known as "the buildup system." In other words, it indicates how much fertilizer should be added each year for four years to bring soil fertility to the proper level. These are called buildup rates.
The handbook also specifies "management rates" for specific crops. The management rate is the amount of fertilizer that must be added each year to make up for the nutrients used by the growing plants.
When applying lime and fertilizers, keep in mind the following tips:
On newly prepared seedbeds, if the rate requirements for lime exceed 5 tons, apply half of it before primary tillage (in some cases, plowing), and half before secondary tillage (harrowing, disking).
Apply rates of less than 5 tons at one time, preferably after plowing; but either before or after is acceptable.
On established pastures or pastures being renovated without tillage, apply up to 3 tons of lime at any one time. If soil tests indicate a need for larger amounts, apply half now and the remaining half one or two years later.
No nitrogen should be applied for legume seedings on soils above 2.5 percent organic matter. On soils with less than that, up to 20 pounds per acre may help assure rapid growth of legume and grass seedlings.
In the seedings of a pure grass stand, 50 to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the seedbed is suggested. When band seeding, apply nitrogen with phosphorus through the grain drill, but do not place the seed in the fertilizer band. Allow 1 to 1 1/2 inches of soil to cover the fertilizer before the seeds are dropped.
When broadcast seeding, apply nitrogen with phosphorus and potassium, and then incorporate with light tillage during final preparation of the seedbed.
All of the phosphorus needs up to four years can be applied at seeding time. For band seeding, the bulk of your fertilizer may be broadcast with potassium before final seedbed preparation. However, apply a minimum of 30 pounds of P205 per acre with the drill in a band below the seed.
As for broadcast seeding, broadcast all of the phosphorus with potassium, preferably after primary tillage and before final seedbed preparation.
Apply potassium before or at seeding, preferably by broadcasting. If you choose to broadcast seed, apply all potassium after the primary tillage. You can apply up to 600 pounds of K2O per acre in the seedbed without damaging seedlings if the fertilizer is incorporated with thorough tillage.
However, if you are band seeding, you may safely apply a maximum of 30 to 40 pounds of potassium per acre in the band with phosphorus. The response to band fertilizer will be mainly due to the phosphorus, unless the potassium soil test is very low (perhaps 100 or less).