Nutrient management for organic berry production

Javier Fernandez-Salvador Assistant Professor (Practice)

Oregon State University. Small Farms Program

OSU Extension Service, Marion County

1320 Capitol St NE, Suite 110. Salem, OR 97301

Tel: 503-373-3766

javier.f-s@oregonstate.edu

Today’s presentation Tools for your organic berry project:

• NRCS web soil survey

• Soil sampling and testing

• Land history and project map

Berry fertility

• Understanding the crop: time of application

and pH.

• Crop requirements: amount of fertilizer

needed.

• Tissue sampling. Evaluating fertility program

• Organic fertilizers: sources of the nutrients

to apply and method of application

Chehalis Series

• The Chehalis series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in silty and loamy mixed alluvium. Chehalis soils are nearly level to undulating flood plains. The mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.

• TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Ultic Haploxerolls

• GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Chehalis soils are on flood plains at elevations of 30 to 1,600 feet. They formed in silty and loamy mixed alluvium. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. These soils occur in a climate having cool, dry summers, and cool, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is 30 to 70 inches. The average January temperature is 39 to 40 degrees F. and the average July temperature is 64 to 67 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 50 to 55 degrees F. The average frost-free season (32 degrees F) is 150 to 235 days.

• DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. Chehalis soils are subject to occasional flooding for brief periods from November to April.

• USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for cropland, hay and pasture.Native vegetation is Douglas fir, red alder, grand fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple and Oregon oak with an understory of vine maple, trailing blackberry, western swordfern, western brackenfern, Oregon grape, wild ginger, violet, and western rattlesnake plantain.

Soil sampling: collect representative samples, based on crop and land history.

Sample at 1.5 to 2 feet depth (in row) for caneberry and blueberry. Remove mulch. Same time of the year but not during fertilization

Native hedgerow, 16 ft. wide

Road

Berry Field

Hedgerow to boundary with filberts, 35 ft.

Tool shed

Pump house

Non-organic hops, east of red line

Organic vegetables, west of red line

Native hedgerow, 8 ft. wide

Willows and native hedgerow, 11 ft. wide

Non-organic cover crop, south of red line

Berries to veggies, 71 ft.

Non-organic filberts, north of red line

Berries to veggies, 135 ft.

N

Space between hedgerows, 11 ft.

Organic Farm: New Organic Berry Project

Berries to hedgerow, 6 ft.

Worker Area

Hedgerow to boundary with hops, 22 ft.

Berries to hedgerow, 13 ft.

Berries to hedgerow, 9 ft.

Packing tent

Section 2

Section 3

Section 1

Soil and tissue results

Understanding the crop: time of fertilizer application and pH

Organic Strawberries

Strawberries: Growing Systems 1. June Bearing - Matted row.

Fertilize at renovation, when plants form

flower buds for next year’s crop. No fertilizer

applications in the spring. More leaves but

same yield and increased fruit rot.

Organic fertilizer preferred in

liquid form and doled out. Solid

fertilizers will take longer to

become available to plant.

Some growers spread pelletized

fertilizer mixed with biologically

active compost and irrigation.

June bearing strawberry renovation

Photos: B. Strik

2. Day Neutral. Plasticulture – Hill System.

• In organic systems only 1 or 2 production

seasons with the same plants are

recommended for maximum yield.

• Solid fertilizer pre-planting only.

• Fertigate required amount, constantly and

doled out during the entire fruiting season.

Caneberries

• In organic systems fertilize summer bearing

cultivars (raspberry and blackberry) during the

spring when fertilizers are being taken into the crow,

floricanes, primocanes and into the fruit.

• Solid organic fertilizers better applied 1 or 2 times in

early (end March) and late spring (end May or

June).

• Liquid fertilizers can be applied from March until

June. Divide the recommended amount in the

number of desired applications.

Primocane fruiting raspberry

• In organic systems fertilize primocane fruiting

raspberry with the required amount split between a

solid fertilizer pre-planting in the spring and the rest

in a liquid form, constantly and doled out during the

entire fruiting season.

• This information is anecdotal from grower

experiences and demo plantings and more research

is needed.

Blueberry

• In organic systems start fertilization in early bloom and

finish in late June if using liquid fertilizers with a dolled

out application regime.

• If using solid products apply the entire recommended

amount in 1 or 2 applications before bloom or before

bloom and early June.

pH

Figure: B. Strik

• Soil pH too high for organic blueberries (7 or close

to neutral) = lime induced iron deficiency.

• Organic fertilization also lowers soil pH (every 100

lb N/acre/year drops soil pH 0.1 unit), just slowly

than synthetic fertilizers.

• In perennial organic berry crops is hard to drastically

manipulate pH with lime or sulfur once crop has

been established.

Crop requirements: amount of fertilizer needed.

Adequate levels of SOIL nutrients for berry crops

Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

Amend soil for adequate crop needs.

Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

Evaluating fertility program Tissue testing

Adjust fertility as needed next year

Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

5. Continuing evaluation of impact.

Results for tissue testing practices, 2015-2016 organic blueberry survey.

Fernandez-Salvador ,Strik, Stephenson 2016

When to test?

Sample primocanes in raspberry and blackberry and shoots from 1 yr. old wood in blueberry Sample most recent fully expanded leaves

Source: Hart et al., 2006; Strik, 2014

Organic fertilizers: sources of the nutrients to apply and method of application

There is a wide range of material presentations

• Powders, granules, pellets

• liquids

Important considerations for choosing a fertilizer for your organic farm

Total nitrogen

(not available N

NH4 or NO3)

7

Available

phosphate

(P2O5)

1

Available

potash

(K2O)

2

Compliance program

seal(s)

Basic standard of

identity

Understanding an organic fertilizer label

Bone Meal Feather meal

Bone and meat meal Fish Meal

Blood Meal

1) Animal origin meals

Organic Fertility Sources

2) Manures of animal origin

Raw

Not for human

consumption

90-120 day rule

Composted

C:N ratio (25:1-

40:1) 131 F and

170 F for 3 days

OR 15days

Processed

150 F for 1 hour

or more and 12%

moisture. Zero

pathogen residue

3) Plant materials and meals

Soybean meal

Rice or grain meals/hulls

Cotton (seed meal or gin trash)

Beet, roots and other pulps

Alfalfa meal

4) Minerals

Potassium sulfate; SOP

Magnesia (0-0-22)

Muriate of potash KCl (0-0-60) Chilean nitrate (16-0-0)

Rock phosphate (0-3 to 8-0)

5) Liquid organic fertilizers

Animal based: fish, guanos, etc. Plant based: corn, soy solubles

Organic Fertilizer Variability (Data from 2011,2012, 2013 study)

Rates: 1) 50 lb/acre N per year (2011-12). 2) 50 lb/acre N per year in 2011–2012 and 80 lb/acre in 2013

Pelletized, processed

poultry litter “poultry”

Pelletized soybean

meal “soy” Fish hydrolysate and

emulsion blend with added

molasses “fish”

Corn steep liquor

and fish hydrolysate

blend

Fernandez-Salvador ,Strik, Bryla 2012, 2013

Target rate of 56 kg*ha-1 (2011-12) and 89 kg*ha-1 (2013)

Fertigation

• 2011-2013 Study

• Impact of Liquid Fertilizers on Emitter Performance Fertigation Management in Organic Blackberry

Fernandez-Salvador ,Strik, Bryla 2013

Drip Performance: Treatments

The impact of fertigation on drip system performance was evaluated with two maintenance options, “flushing” and “no flushing” of the drip lines for each of the two fertilizer sources.

Results Flow rates:

4.5% in the first year

19% in the second year

No

difference

No

difference

Important fertilizer consideration

N:P ratio in organic fertilizers

N P2O5 K2O

Mature

Blueberry crop 150 60 170

3.5 tons chicken

manure 145 210 210

Organic Fertilizers (%)

Total N P2O5 K2O

Dairy manure & bedding 0.5 0.2 0.5

Poultry manure & litter 2.8 2.3 1.7

Pelleted chicken manure 4.0 3.0 3.0

Composted poultry

manure 0.9 2.0 1.2

Composted dairy manure 0.6 0.6 1.3

Specialty Products

Total N P2O5 K2O

Feather meal 12 0 0

Blood meal 12 0 0

Fish meal 10 6 2

Soybean meal 7 2 1

Sulfate of potash 0 0 50

Muriate of potash 0 0 60

Bone meal 2 15 0

Rock phosphate 0 2 0

Tables courtesy Nick Andrews OSU

OSU Organic Fertilizer and Cover Crop Calculator

Source: http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/calculator

January 10, 2017

44

Thank you! Questions?