Hopefully, your crop is off to a great start! Now is a good time to assess crop stands and learn from your planting-season management to see if there are things you should do differently.

Also, don’t wait too long to apply your sidedress nitrogen if you didn’t apply it pre-plant.

Review Planter Settings

It’s a good time to check whether the no-till planter and its attachments performed as well as you had planned. Look for any differences across the rows to determine if any row units didn’t perform as well as others.

Also, dig up some plants and see if the planting depth was where you had hoped it was. Then, as you scout your fields, make sure your planter depth and tension settings are relative to what you really see. This can really improve your ability to adjust your no-till planter for the next season and give you the confidence that you have it set correctly.

Finally, record the settings you used on your row cleaners and any other planter attachments so you have a good indication of how those accessories performed.

Starter Fertilizer Checkup

Observe the color of seedlings and the root structure to determine whether your starter fertilizer and other fertility programs are working well.

Plant color and health should be quite revealing if you take time to look for nutrient deficiencies.

When looking at the seedling’s roots, you’ll be able to tell if you are getting any root burn or if the fertilizer was placed correctly…