Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Years of direct seeding have brought plenty of benefits to prairie farms, but they’ve also created a challenge that’s becoming harder to ignore. Nutrient stratification—the concentration of immobile nutrients near the soil surface—can leave crops short of key nutrients when dry conditions force roots deeper into the soil profile.
During this episode of RealAgriculture’s Canola School, Elston Solberg of Sun Mountain Ag explains that immobile nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, and many micronutrients naturally become concentrated in the top few inches of the soil after years of direct seeding and surface residue accumulation. While that isn’t necessarily a problem when moisture is available near the surface, it can become a significant limitation when crops enter rapid growth and roots are forced deeper in search of water.
“If some of your nutrients are locked in the top couple, 3 inches… that depth is dry and your roots are down here, it’s Houston, we got a problem,” Solberg says.
The first step in diagnosing nutrient stratification is taking soil samples in layers rather than as a single composite sample. Solberg recommends sampling by depth to determine where nutrients are concentrated, noting that many long-term direct-seeded fields in Western Canada show the same pattern of phosphorus and other immobile nutrients accumulating in the upper two or three inches.
From there, growers can begin evaluating management options. Foliar nutrition can provide a short-term tool when crops cannot access nutrients during critical growth stages, while deeper nutrient placement offers a longer-term strategy. Solberg says research is underway evaluating fertilizer placement eight to 12 inches deep, and he also points to strip tillage as one possible approach to distributing nutrients deeper in the profile.
Although tillage is often viewed cautiously, Solberg suggests that an occasional pass—perhaps once every decade—may help redistribute nutrients and organic matter without abandoning the benefits of direct seeding.
For growers who suspect stratification is affecting crop performance, Solberg recommends three priorities: conduct layered soil sampling, investigate foliar nutrition as an in-season tool, and begin planning for deeper nutrient placement.
“As sure as I’m standing here, that will be a big piece of our future,” he says.
Website: realagriculture.com
#canola #farming #agronomy #fertilizer
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Years of direct seeding have brought plenty of benefits to prairie farms, but they’ve also created a challenge that’s becoming harder to ignore. Nutrient stratification—the concentration of immobile nutrients near the soil surface—can leave crops short of key nutrients when dry conditions force roots deeper into the soil profile.
During this episode of RealAgriculture’s Canola School, Elston Solberg of Sun Mountain Ag explains that immobile nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, and many micronutrients naturally become concentrated in the top few inches of the soil after years of direct seeding and surface residue accumulation. While that isn’t necessarily a problem when moisture is available near the surface, it can become a significant limitation when crops enter rapid growth and roots are forced deeper in search of water.
“If some of your nutrients are locked in the top couple, 3 inches… that depth is dry and your roots are down here, it’s Houston, we got a problem,” Solberg says.
The first step in diagnosing nutrient stratification is taking soil samples in layers rather than as a single composite sample. Solberg recommends sampling by depth to determine where nutrients are concentrated, noting that many long-term direct-seeded fields in Western Canada show the same pattern of phosphorus and other immobile nutrients accumulating in the upper two or three inches.
From there, growers can begin evaluating management options. Foliar nutrition can provide a short-term tool when crops cannot access nutrients during critical growth stages, while deeper nutrient placement offers a longer-term strategy. Solberg says research is underway evaluating fertilizer placement eight to 12 inches deep, and he also points to strip tillage as one possible approach to distributing nutrients deeper in the profile.
Although tillage is often viewed cautiously, Solberg suggests that an occasional pass—perhaps once every decade—may help redistribute nutrients and organic matter without abandoning the benefits of direct seeding.
For growers who suspect stratification is affecting crop performance, Solberg recommends three priorities: conduct layered soil sampling, investigate foliar nutrition as an in-season tool, and begin planning for deeper nutrient placement.
“As sure as I’m standing here, that will be a big piece of our future,” he says.
Website: realagriculture.com
#canola #farming #agronomy #fertilizer
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
