What to Do Before Planting Your Cotton in 2019

It might seem like the planting season is still rather far off, but it’s never too early to start the planning! The warmer spring weather is going to be here before you know it, and it’s important to be fully prepared once it finally arrives.

What are some of the steps you can take before planting your crops in 2019 to make sure you have a successful planting and growing season this year? Here are a few tips to keep in mind, courtesy of our company specializing in cotton mill components in Lubbock, TX:

• Review all your equipment: The first step you should take before planting begins is to carefully inspect all the equipment you use for your planting processes to make sure it’s in good working order. This is a great time to call in a technician to perform routine maintenance and make sure everything’s up to speed. The last thing you want is to go out on your first day of planting and suddenly find that your equipment isn’t starting up or operating efficiently. By making it a priority to inspect and care for your equipment before you actually hit the fields, this will help you get the planting season off on the right foot and save you a whole lot of potential wasted time. Test everything at least once before you have to use it for actual work. If there are any parts that are worn down or need to be replaced, now’s the time to get that done, rather than waiting until the middle of the season when the equipment breaks down and your work is hampered.
• Prepare the soil: Make sure the soil is healthy and ready to go for the season before you begin planting your crops. Soil health doesn’t just mean nutrient content, though that is also important—you need to be sure you’re using the proper fertilizer and crop protection products. You also need to have a good understanding of the soil texture and whether any parts of your land might have restrictions for planting. If you had cover crops planted in the fall, you’ll especially need to do some work on making sure the soil is ready going into the spring. Try not to work soil that’s too wet so you can minimize soil compaction.
• Fertilizer: We briefly mentioned fertilizer in the previous section, but before you begin planting is the perfect time to analyze your available fertilizer options and make the decision that you think will be best suited for your soil and your crops. You want to do everything you can to help your seeds maximize their potential. Just as important as the type of fertilizer you use is the fertilizer strategy you use. You’re going to want to make sure your crop has all the nutrients it needs to get through the season.

For more information about the steps you should take before planting your crops this year, we encourage you to contact M.B. McKee Company, Inc. about maintaining and preparing your cotton mill components in Lubbock, TX.

Categorised in: Cotton Mill Components

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