A fundamental aspect for every farmer seeking healthy and plentiful harvests is fertilisation, an indispensable practice to maintain soil fertility and enhance productivity over time.
Choosing the right technique and suitable equipment for soil fertilisation is crucial to ensure the supply of nutrients needed to restore and improve soil fertility, guaranteeing your plants receive the necessary elements.
In this regard, Sicma machines can help you manage the operations supporting your soil’s fertility in a simple and lasting way.
Soil fertilisation is the process by which nutrients required by plants to grow and yield optimally are delivered to the soil.
Azote, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients are essential substances to:
- Promote root development in crops.
- Promote root development in crops.
- Strengthen resistance to diseases and environmental stress.
A well-nourished soil ensures crop stability and quality in the long term.
Therefore, regular fertilisation is essential for healthy and vigorous plant development in order to achieve higher productivity.
Practical tip: carry out soil analysis at least every 3–4 years to understand whether the nutritional needs of your crops have changed.
Effective soil fertilisation means knowing and applying the most suitable technique and the required amount of nutrients, determined based on the soil’s nutritional needs. Although plants require a range of nutrients, not all soils have the same fertilisation requirements. Through simple sampling and laboratory tests, you can discover which nutrients are already present in the soil and which ones you need to supplement using various fertilisation methods
Below are the main types of soil fertilisation and their respective timings:
Basic (pre-planting) fertilisation prepares the soil before sowing or planting; it is also indicated to enrich the deeper layers of the soil with organic matter and mineral elements, and to improve soil structure
During soil tillage, the soil is enriched with:
- Organic fertiliser, using mature manure;
- Mineral fertiliser, incorporating elements such as phosphorus and potassium, which are otherwise very difficult to push deep into the soil.
This technique is particularly useful for supporting the initial development of plants.
In the case of vines or tree crops, growth (or starting) fertilisation is performed in the early years to support the plant during its juvenile phase, particularly to promote robust root and shoot development.
Carried out from the second year after planting, it helps stimulate the formation of the productive structure by introducing nitrogen, an element that is not included in basic fertilisation because the plant does not yet have sufficient root establishment and the nitrogen would be lost without being absorbed.
This should be repeated annually until the plant has reached full maturity; the ideal period for growth fertilisation is autumn, and nitrogen quantities are determined based on plant vigour and soil characteristics.
Once the vineyard is mature and productive (typically from the third year onwards), production fertilisation (top-dressing) is carried out.
This technique involves two applications in distinct periods:
- during the vegetative cycle, with the addition of magnesium;
- at the end of September, with high concentrations of phosphorus and potassium.
Foliar fertilisation is another important technique in viticulture.
This practice allows nutrients to be administered directly to the leaves, in a fully soluble form, enabling rapid and effective absorption.
- Foliar fertiliser for vegetables: ideal for tomatoes, peppers and salads that require an immediate boost.
- Foliar fertilisation for olive trees: perfect for supplying elements such as boron or manganese, essential for a good harvest..
- Foliar fertiliser for tomatoes: ensures superior fruit quality and greater resistance to fungal diseases.
Moreover, it is a practice that pairs well with top-dressing fertilisation, especially for intensive crops.
If you have a localized or drip irrigation system, fertigation is a technique that allows you to distribute fertiliser and water simultaneously.
In doing so, you improve nutrient use efficiency and reduce waste, a crucial advantage for large-scale producers seeking an easy-to-manage fertiliser solution for vegetables.
Green manure is an ancient technique that has been recently rediscovered for its sustainability, especially in conservation agriculture practices.
It is a green fertilisation practice—carried out using only plants, without any animal substances—and involves sowing herbaceous plants that are ploughed under before flowering. In this way:
- you enrich the soil with nitrogen and organic matter;
- you improve soil structure and reduce the need for chemical fertilisers.
Among the most commonly used cover crops for green manure are many legume varieties (lupin, field bean, clover, vetch, sainfoin, etc.), which offer the greatest nitrogen enrichment, but buckwheat, barley, horseradish, mustard and nectar plants are also employed.
When these cover crops reach the pre-flowering stage, mowing and incorporation are carried out, taking care to avoid excessive lignification of the stems, which would otherwise decompose too slowly and delay nutrient release into the soil.
Green manure incorporation can be performed in various ways—through ploughing, subsoiling, digging in or even shallow surface tillage. In some cases, the green manure biomass can be left as surface mulch to suppress weeds instead of being buried.
Once incorporated into the soil, the biomass decomposes through the action of soil microorganisms, supplying nutrients to the cultivated plants.
This practice is used to increase soil fertility, allowing significant nitrogen gains at low cost, and is ideal for regenerating intensively exploited soils.
Effective fertilisation is key to productive and sustainable agriculture.
Once the soil fertilisation strategy is defined, you need reliable machinery to distribute fertilisers uniformly and optimally.
- Rippers and ploughs: ideal for deep burying of manure or mineral fertilisers during basic fertilisation.
- Precision fertiliser spreaders: perfect for top-dressing fertilisation, thanks to the even distribution of macro and microelements.
- Green manure machinery: enabling mowing with flail mowers and incorporation with rotavators or spaders of the cover crops
Fertilisation is a valuable ally for every farmer: from the vineyard to the backyard vegetable garden, each crop has its own specific fertilisation requirements.
With a well-structured fertilisation plan and dedicated equipment, you can maximise yields and ensure your soil receives the nutrients it needs to remain fertile and productive year after year.
Now that you have a comprehensive overview of the fertilisation techniques, all that remains is to take action.
Rely on Sicma for innovative machinery and professional support. Together, we will take your farm to a higher level of efficiency.
Contact us now and tell us about your needs: we will help you identify the ideal machinery to get the most out of your next growing season
