Urea on Soybeans?

J.ReinkeFarms · May 9, 2009

So a small time guy by us has a dilemma and wanted my input, but I have never had this problem so I thought I would ask around. He spread 200lbs of urea per acre on his field Thursday night (20 acres). I went down Friday morning and worked it in for him so he could get his planter out and get going/hopefully done before the rain. But when he hooked up the old 7000 MaxEmerge the cylinder for the row markers blew. So he decided to just park it and plant soybeans, but he was wondering if this was such a good idea with the urea being put on and all. I told him to just fix his planter or I would plant for him. He doesn't want to pay for either so he's pretty determined on putting in soybeans. Any input on if the soys will make it, or if he will have anything for me to combine this fall would be appreciated. This is in the Saginaw, MI area. Thanks.

2t2@IA · May 9, 2009

I wouldn't think that the urea would hurt the soybeans. On the other hand, it would not be of benefit, either. The cost of rebuilding the cylinder would be much less than the cost of the urea, I would think.

CumminsMan · May 9, 2009

Well, the beans will grow. They won't fixate their own Nitrogen because so much is available, and will get overly tall. Won't produce very well, lots of stem between pods/nodes, and will be flat on the ground come fall. If he plants the field to beans he has basically thrown away the money spent on Urea, and I wouldn't count on anything over average yield on beans, if they even make that.

GordoSD · May 9, 2009

It isn't rocket science to get good spacing with a 4 row planter without markers. I do it every time I plant 6 row corn, two close rows of sorgham in pheasant food plots.
That main beam the cylinder is located in is a favorite place for field mice in the winter. I pull mine out evey spring and blow the whole business out. I made up a 12 foot extension for the blowgun for just this event. Mice prolly ate his hyd lines in there.
If he is gonna plant beans he has a month to do that.

Gordo

GW

Anonymous-0 · May 9, 2009

The soybeans will use the available nitrogen rather than "making" it via nitrogen fixing bacteria. Never have seen that much nitrogen put on beans, but lower amounts don't cause any harm, but it is an expensive waste of nitrogen.

John (C-IL) · May 9, 2009

He shouldn't give up on planting corn that easy.

The cost to replace/repair that cylinder is small compared to what he would be giving up in the cost of the urea.

For an alternative marker. Put a pipe across the front of the tractor the proper length and drag a chain down the last planted row.

Mike Aylward · May 9, 2009

The urea will have no benefit for the beans and may even hurt them. They will grow very tall and get very dark green but have few beans on them. What he loses in yield on his beans would fix his marker system on his planter many times over. He will be out the cost of the urea with no benefit and will have a poor bean crop, so he loses twice. As for the planter, odds are the metal pipe on the inside of the frame has rusted out. It isn't terribly expensive or hard to fix. Don't let your friend give up that easy on corn. Mike

davpal · May 9, 2009

Oh no, don't plant the soybeans if he put on all that nitrogen! Get some 100 day corn and plant it. The urea was very expensive and he already has everything prepped to put the corn in. I would beg and plead with him to just fix the cylinder and put in corn. Either that or let it sit for the summer and put on wheat this fall.

kyplowboy · May 9, 2009

Does 92lbs of N make that much corn up that way or was he figure'n on side dressing it later?

Any way lets do a little math here, 20X200 is two tons. Urea here a few weeks ago was about $500/ton. For $1000 he could buy a 7000 parts planter that will be around longer and do a chit pot more good for them than the N on beans would be. He has close to $50/acre in the N already and it is not going to make the beans yeild 5 bu/acre more.

You don't say how big the 7000 is, my grandfather used to use a 4 row and he left markers up half the time, I use a 6 row and I eye balled really small fields before and came out ok. I would cap off the line going to that cylinder and eye ball it before I switched to beans after N application.

Dave

Anonymous-0 · May 9, 2009

Yes the seal kit for a 4 row 7000 is like $12. The internal pipe (which proved to be my problem also) was about $80 and not available instantly. It was rusted through from mouse p.

The seal kit is different to install, so I understand, I've not yet done it, because my planter didn't need it.

Gerald J.

kyhayman · May 9, 2009

Just forget about the markers if the harvester has a head to match the planter. I've never owned anything that I left them on anyway, always hanging on stuff like road signs.

That much N will probably interfere with pod set. But, if he's determined, its his money.

steelfronts · May 9, 2009

Cummins man is exactly right on this one.

J.ReinkeFarms · May 9, 2009

I'm going down there again tomorrow to tear the planter apart. It's a 6 row planter. The thing is in really good shape, too bad this guy has it. I take off his crops and run a 6 row head. I'm going to try to talk him into doing corn still. Find out tomorrow.

By the way, I didn't think about the pipe over to the actuator cylinder being bad, thanks for the heads up on that one.

brian(MN) · May 10, 2009

By all means fix the marker, I have done it a couple of times, once when a hose inside broke and once or twice when I had to reweld some kind of catch. It is not hard to do.
He is throwing is money away on urea on soybeans.
Brian(MN)

J.ReinkeFarms · May 12, 2009

I took it apart for him yesterday (the guy is only 56, but you would swear he's 1000 rounded) and it was the pipe. But he wouldn't fix it, had already swapped the corn for beans and is planting them today. I'll let ya know in the fall when I take them off how it worked. Should be interesting.

Urea on Soybeans?

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