By: AgroLiquid Research and Development Team

“Can I mix fertilizer A with fertilizer B?” This is a big deal in agriculture. We know we need to make hay while the sun shines and when it’s time to go — it’s time to roll! No one wants to be slowed down because a bad mix has gummed up the works. So how can you safely mixer fertilizers together?

We’ve updated this blog post in 2023 to give you even more information about how to safely mix fertilizers. Remember that mixing fertilizers can be dangerous! Always consult with an expert before mixing any chemicals.

How to Safely Mix Fertilizers

Not all fertilizers can mix together safely. It’s important to check labels and test properly to make sure you can safely mix fertilizers before using them on your crops.

Talk with our professional agronomists to learn more about mixing fertilizers safely 

AgroLiquid spends a lot of time making sure the products we call compatible won’t cause problems or slow downs. But, before we delve into this topic, let’s set some ground rules on what can be described as “compatible:”

• It mixes into either a clear solution with no solid fallout (ideal) or a suspension where the suspended material can stay suspended for longer than a few days. If the suspendant falls out of solution, it can be easily agitated back into suspension.
• When mixed, it does not produce any gas such as ammonia or carbon dioxide. Off-gassing like this changes the materials in the mix, and not usually in a good way.
• When mixed, the solution doesn’t get very hot. This can be dangerous!
• When mixed, it does not produce a fallout of solids. This could drastically change the analysis of the remaining solution.
• It can be used in farming equipment without plugging filters, screens, or nozzles.

How to AgroLiquid Fertilizers Mix Safely?

One reason for our superior compatibility is due to our Nutriq Technology. This proprietary technology acts as a chelant or encapsulation agent, and keeps the different compounds in solution from reacting with each other, resulting in an inert mix. This may not be the case with products that use acetates, citrates, or amino acids as their chelating agents.

Another reason is the fact that most of our products have fairly neutral pH. Attempting to mix products that are alkaline may result in either the production of gasses, heat, and/or significant fallout. Care must also be taken with acidic products, especially when being mixed with alkaline products.

Test Before Mixing

To help prevent unnecessary headaches, always perform a jar test. We cannot stress this enough! This is especially
true when adding agrochemicals; there are many off-brands that use different additives and carriers that can cause
adverse reactions. Remember: there is always a chemical reaction when you do a jar test, so proceed with care!

If a fertilizer product (AgroLiquid or otherwise) is to be used in fertigation, we also suggest that growers submit
water samples to an accredited lab for analysis, specifically for pH, hardness, and bicarbonate. Most alkaline or hard
irrigation water will cause fertilizer products to react and gradually create a buildup of fallout in lines and emittors.
This can be solved by neutralizing your water with a sulfuric or carboxylic acid injection system.

If you still have questions, such as “can I mix fertilizer A with fertilizer B?”, do not hesitate to contact your AgroLiquid representative. We are here to support you and your operation.

Tank mix AgroLiquid’s premier, complete liquid phosphorus solution with your nitrogen fertilizer

Clearly, both nitrogen and phosphorus are important for growing crops. As primary crop nutrients, they are involved in many functions within a plant. Nitrogen is often the largest chunk of the fertilizer budget.  However, the role of phosphorus cannot be overlooked. Phosphorus is involved in processes in the plant like energy storage and transfer (ATP/ADP), protein synthesis, photosynthesis, nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) synthesis, nutrient movement through cell walls and many more processes. Therefore, it pays to make sure phosphorus does not become deficient in plants. Maximizing yields and quality means supplying these nutrients in the right amounts at the right time.

Applying phosphorus as a crop nutrient can be tricky. It needs to be well managed for environmental and economic reasons. Just because phosphorus was applied to the soil does not mean that it is doing what you want it to do: feed the plant. All applied fertilizer is available, but not all applied fertilizer is usable. Sounds funny, but it’s true. What’s the difference? All fertilizer is available to plants — it’s right there for the taking. But it may not be usable. In order for a nutrient to be usable, it must be close to the roots and it must be in a form that the plant can absorb.

AgroLiquid agronomists have long been focused on providing a highly efficient and usable phosphate fertilizer in a form that is simple to apply. That means being able to tank mix with other crop nutrients. Because of the timing of nitrogen applications, it important our phosphorus can mix well with UAN solutions or anhydrous ammonia, as well as AgroLiquid’s slow-release nitrogen solution, High NRG-N. Adding Pro-Germinator to a nitrogen pass is an effective way to supply phosphorus when and where the crop needs it.

Pro-Germinator contains both orthophosphate and carbon-protected polymer phosphate to provide readily-available, and controlled-release phosphorus with minimal danger of tie-up in the soil. The long phosphorus chains in Pro-Germinator protect nutrients until the plant is ready to use them, resulting in increased efficiency and maximum uptake. With a lower nutrient concentration in a more powerful formula, Pro-Germinator is safe to use at planter time, while still providing the nutrients required.

To learn more, check out more of our website, or contact an AgroLiquid representative near you.

Almond trial shows using less fertilizer compared to conventional treatments achieves equal to better results

Understanding Soil Quality

Almond acres have been steadily growing in California since the 1980s, and the crop is now California’s number one exported agricultural commodity. With over 2.4 million acres of trees planted, California grows over 85% of the world’s almonds. Virtually all commercially harvested almonds produced in the U.S. come from California. Most of that is due to the climate: warm, dry summers and cool, rainy winters are key to setting the tree up for success. But we know it takes more than a temperate climate to maximize a crop’s potential. AgroLiquid crop nutrition can be a
valuable tool in producing an abundant and quality almond crop. In an effort to determine the best sources, rates, timings and methods of application for this important crop, for the past two years, AgroLiquid has invested in and run a full-scale research trial in almonds in California.

AgroLiquid has long believed in proving our technology through rigorous research and field testing. In western soils, we are looking at our technology performance compared to conventional fertilizer sources. Almonds are the perfect crop to test our Nutriq Technology, given how much potassium is needed to produce a crop. AgroLiquid’s proprietary technology allows us to chelate/encapsulate nutrients within the sweet spot – not too loose, but not too tight. Our two year almond research trial has been conducted by Barat Basabri of Basabri Ag Research in Newman, CA.

Trial details:
Each plot consists of five trees and was replicated six times across the orchard. Throughout the growing season, 50 gallons per acre (ga/A) of UAN-32 is applied as a constant in every plot.

Plot 1 (Conventional grower standard):
• 10-34-0 applied at 37.5 ga/A
• Potassium thiosulfate applied at 40 ga/A
• EDTA Zinc (Zn) applied four times during the season for a total of 2 ga/A

Plot 2:
• Actagro’s Structure® applied at a rate of 25 ga/A
• Potassium thiosulfate applied at 40 ga/A
• EDTA Zinc (Zn) applied four times during the season for a total of 2 ga/A

Plot 3:
• AgroLiquid’s PrG applied at 15 ga/A
• Potassium thiosulfate applied at 40 ga/A
• EDTA Zinc (Zn) applied four times during the season for a total of 2 ga/A

Plot 4:
• AgroLiquid’s PrG applied at 15 ga/A
• AgroLiquid’s Kalibrate at a rate of 13.2 ga/A
• EDTA Zinc (Zn) applied four times during the season for a total of 2 ga/A

The results of the two-year averages are as follows. Plot 1: The “Grower Standard” of 10-34-0 + Potassium thiosulfate yielded an average of 2,616 lbs. per acre. The second plot where Structure® was used in place of 10-34-0 + Potassium thiosulfate, yielded a two-year average of 2,825 lbs./acre. The third plot was AgroLiquid’s PrG + Potassium thiosulfate which yielded an average of 2,840 lbs./acre. The final plot was a full AgroLiquid program using both PrG + Kalibrate which yielded a two-year average of 2,829 lbs./acre. Yield results in the last three plots were comparable. For complete details on the almond trial please refer to the AgroLiquid website: research.agroliquid.com where all of our research data can be found dating back to 1983.