- Sep 13
- 3 min read

Benefits of Using Starter Fertilizer

Starter fertilizers are most beneficial when crops are planted into cold, wet soils in early spring or late fall, regardless of soil fertility. Using a starter is especially important in conservation tillage systems. Crops planted in late spring or early fall generally do not require a starter fertilizer unless soil fertility levels are low.

Starter fertilizers are a small amount of fertilizer applied near the seed to meet the demands of the seedling for readily available nutrients until the plant's root system develops. They also enhance the development of the emerging seedling.
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the key nutrient components in a starter fertilizer. Phosphorus is nonmobile in the soil, thus, undeveloped seedling roots have difficulty obtaining the necessary amounts for proper growth. Also, phosphorus promotes vigorous root growth.
Corn is the most responsive crop to starter fertilizer use. The response of forage crops to starter fertilizers has not been as consistent as with corn. Sorghum usually does not require a starter fertilizer. Small grains will respond to starter fertilizer especially on marginal fertility soils and when crops are planted in late fall. In general, using a starter fertilizer when planting soybeans is not recommended.

What is Ample C™?

Ample is the foundation of our

line of plant health products.

Including Ample C™ in a fertilizer starter pack has shown to promote crop vigor and yield through improved seed germination, increased root mass development, accelerated microbial activity and

enhanced nutrient uptake.

What is Starter Fertilizer?

Starter fertilizer is a small quantity of fertilizer nutrients applied in close proximity to the seed at planting. Starter fertilizers enhance the development of emerging seedlings by supplying essential nutrients in accessible locations near the roots. Rapid crop establishment is desirable since plant development and yield can be influenced during early growth stages. Also, fast-growing young plants generally are more resistant to insect and disease attacks and can compete with weeds more effectively. Readily available nutrients near young plants help ensure rapid early growth and the formation of large leaves, which are necessary for photosynthesis, subsequent growth processes, and earlier crop maturity.

When to use Starter Fertilizer

A starter fertilizer is most beneficial when the crop is planted into cold, wet soils, regardless of the total fertility status of the soil. Cold, wet soils cause reduced root growth rate, nutrient mobility, and nutrient mineralization (i. e., the breakdown of nutrients into plant usable forms). Cold, wet soils generally are most prevalent in early spring and late fall. However, soils in reduced tillage systems usually are colder and wetter than those in conventional tillage systems because of the insulating effect of the surface mulch. Thus, starter fertilizer is as important, if not more important, in conservation tillage systems as it is in other tillage systems. Conditions such as those mentioned above are most common in the northern crop producing regions of the United States. Crops planted late in the spring generally will not have the same response to a starter as will crops planted earlier, because the warmer conditions already allow adequate plant growth and nutrient mobility. Therefore, it is not as critical to use a starter in this situation, except on low testing soils. However, it is acceptable to include a fertilizer during planting to provide for recommended maintenance fertilizer needs.

How Starter Fertilizer Affects Plant Growth

The use of starter fertilizer enhances crop growth primarily because it places a readily available supply of plant nutrients (especially phosphorus) in a position where they are easily accessible to the limited root system of a seedling. Even though a soil may have high fertility, a seedling's root system may not be able to obtain the necessary nutrients due to lack of size and density within the soil. Once a plant's root system is established, it will be able to extract nutrients from the bulk of the soil . At this point, the soil serves as the primary source of plant nutrients. Since the plant now has a well-developed and extensive root system, it has more surface area to intercept nutrients and moisture throughout the soil.