Fertilizer Practices
Soil tests and experience should guide fertilizer practices. Nutrient levels in the soil vary greatly among regions, with soil types, cropping history and fertilizer use. Provincial fertilizer guidelines should be referred to for general recommendations regarding fertilizer requirements, rates and placement. It is generally believed that relative to other crops, flax will not perform as well on low fertility soils, even when adequate amounts of inorganic fertilizers are used.
External Link to Resource: Guidelines for Safe Rates of Fertilizer Applied With the Seed – Soils, Fertility and Nutrients – Government of Saskatchewan
Flax is sensitive to seed-placed fertilizer with even low rates sometimes causing seedling injury. In Saskatchewan, recommendations for safe rates of seed placed fertilizer look similar to canola if seedbed moisture is good to excellent. Flax is slightly less tolerant than canola to seed-placed nitrogen.
If a micro-nutrient deficiency is suspected, it should be confirmed through plant tissue testing. Following confirmation, measurement of response through small trial application should be undertaken before moving to full field scale application. Confirmation of a micro-nutrient deficiency is essential because research work has shown that applying micro-nutrients can depress flax yields if the nutrients were not truly deficient.
