Soil Amendments & Fertilizer

One of the main missions of Lancaster Ag is to improve the soil and preserve this rich natural resource for future generations.  Our goal is to enable you to leave a healthier, more nutrient-dense soil for succeeding growers.  The following paragraphs explaining soil nutrients will help you on your sustainable journey to a greener tomorrow.    

The purpose of soil testing is to determine the nutrient density of the soil and the relation of the different nutrients to each other. A soil test is used as a road map for treatment of our soils. By reading this road map, we can understand where we presently are and gain a vision for what we need to do in the future. With regular soil testing and recordkeeping, we can see the changes. We recommend that soil samples be taken every two or three years. Under some circumstances, such as very poor fertility, the growing of high-value crops, or severely out-of-balance soil, Lancaster Ag may recommend testing more frequently.

Fall Season:

This season of the year is very important for soil.  The months from August to December are the prime times to put nutrients back into the soil and prepare it for next year’s crops before the ground freezes.  Adding Dry Blends in the fall allows the soil to make improvements over the winter and begins the process of making the nutrients available for the following spring and summer. 

Spring Season:

Lancaster Ag’s Liquid Blends can boost early growth, and improve plant health in pastures and hay crops by spraying at green-up in the spring.  The Dry Blends can prepare the soil and influence the growth of row crops.  The nutrients of the plants, improved by the fish, calcium, seaweed, biologicals, boron, sulfur, and other trace minerals at this early growth stage, determine the size that the plants will grow to for the first harvest.  Also the quality of the forage depends on adequate minerals in a healthy soil.  Highly mineralized plants will not be attractive to insects, will resist diseases, and will enable livestock to have better health.