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Van Woerkom is one of the first N-xt Fertilizers users. He has been using the special liquid soil and foliar fertilizers since the late 1990s. They are available in a wide range of different nitrogen and phosphate contents and with different trace elements. He is particularly enthusiastic about the stable structure of the elements. The minerals are released at a rate and in an order that are optimal for plants. 

 

On average, Van Woerkom uses 43 kilos of nitrogen and 35 kilos of phosphate less per hectare of his potato crops. The saving in his onion crops is even greater: no less than 55 kilos of phosphate per hectare. This gives him the opportunity to make more use of manure. “That’s beneficial for your soil’s health.” Together with his son and four other arable farmers he runs a large farm called De Sjalon. In their overall acreage of 225 hectares the farmers grow seed potatoes in 73 hectares. De Sjalon uses both the soil and the foliar fertilizers for their seed potatoes. How often the farmers spray their crops with the foliar fertilizer depends on the variety and its development – between 2 and 5 times per season. Van Woerkom sees that his seed potatoes benefit from the fertilizer. “You can tell for example by the colour that the crop is doing well. It is more vigorous.”

 

Van Woerkom is of the opinion that N-xt Fertilizers also have a positive effect on the growth potential of potato tubers. The trading company Van Rijn told him about a seed-potato grower who used stock of the same variety provided by three different farmers. One of the batches came from De Sjalon. And what was the case? “Our batch produced a much higher yield than the other two batches. I suspect that’s because we use N-xt Fertilizers.”

 

De Sjalon also uses the foliar fertilizer for its onion and carrot crops. “If I have the impression our crops are not doing too well I spray them with N-xt Fertilizers to boost their vigour. They’re ideal for controlling your crops’ development,” says Van Woerkom. N-xt Fertilizers reduce stress in his carrot crops. The result is a strong crop that is less susceptible to diseases. The first year that Van Woerkom sprayed the foliar fertilizer on his carrot crop there was a high risk of diseases. All carrot crops in the neighbourhood turned brown. “But mine didn’t. My plants remained beautifully green.”