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How to Apply

Applying ESN To Your Crops

ESN technology protects your nitrogen investment from loss mechanisms, ensuring your crop gets nitrogen when it needs it most.

Select your crop for application recommendations.

Select Your Crop

Every type of nitrogen fertilizer is applied and handled differently. These general use recommendations for ESN are based on optimal growing conditions. Your specific conditions and goals should be considered to achieve best results. Always ask your retailer for recommendations​.

Use in Corn

Since the most rapid uptake of N in corn (60-80% of total N needs) is mid-season, ESN is recommended as a one-source, pre-plant application for season-long feeding. Best results are expected if ESN is applied within a couple weeks of planting.

  • Faster to apply than ammonia or solution
  • Will not burn crop like urea or ammonium nitrate
  • Lowers N loss to leaching and denitrification and eliminates volatilization
  • For conditions of greater N loss, increase the amount of ESN in the blend
  • Combine with more soluble, immediately available N where required

Incorporation is preferred, especially in drier areas with unreliable rainfall. Surface application is acceptable if there is sufficient residue to prevent physical movement. ESN may be applied as a top dress after planting or emergence. Application by about the V6 growth stage is recommended. If ESN is to be applied as late as V6, a small amount of N before or at planting (such as a starter or sufficient residual available soil N) is recommended to reduce early N deficiency. Ensure proper calibration of equipment for even coverage.

Southern Corn

Pre-plant nitrogen management

A single ESN application at planting time is convenient and saves operations in a growing crop. This protects N while providing a single N application option.

Apply N at recommended rates at or before planting using ESN to supply 70 – 90% of the total recommended N.

Side-dress or top-dress applications

Side- or top-dress ESN applications can be used to supply the large mid-season N demand of corn and may provide better synchronization of N release with crop N demand of full-season hybrids.

Apply 10-25% of the total recommended N before or at planting. Top- or side-dress the remaining N as a blend of ESN and soluble N fertilizer (such as urea or ammonium sulfate). ESN should comprise about 50-80% of the N in the blend for applications up to V6 growth stage. ESN may be applied up to the V10 growth stage. For applications at V8-V10 growth stage, ESN should not exceed 50-70% of the total N in the blend.

Northern Corn

Pre-plant nitrogen management

A single ESN application at planting time is convenient and saves operations in a growing crop. This protects N while providing a single N application option.

Apply N at recommended rates at or before planting using ESN to supply 70 – 90% of the total recommended Nitrogen.

Side-dress or top-dress applications

Side- or top-dress ESN applications can be used to supply the large mid-season N demand of corn.

Apply N at recommended rates in a blend with ESN comprising 50 – 80% of the total recommended N up to the V6 growth stage. Applications up to the V8 growth stage are possible with a small amount of soluble N applied before or at planting to reduce early N deficiency.

Split nitrogen-application strategies

Combining the N-loss protection of a side- or top-dress ESN application with the immediate N availability of a pre-plant application of conventional fertilizer provides maximum flexibility in N timing.

Apply sufficient soluble nitrogen anytime between fall and planting to supply crop needs for the first few weeks of growth followed by the balance of the N requirement as a side- or top-dress ESN application any time before V6.

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