Renewable Farming

For early, deep-reaching roots, spray at V2 with WakeUP Spring and Vitazyme

 

In 2008, our first recommendation for using the predecessor of our modern WakeUP Spring was: Spray it on corn at the two-leaf stage. When it’s “pop-can high.” It was easy to see how the corn responded with more vigorous rooting. But was tough for corn-soybean growers to get it done. When their corn grows into the V2 to V3 stage, they’re usually busy planting soybeans.

May 22, 2018 — Today, with our own much more refined WakeUP formulation designed for internal mobilization of leaf sugars, we still urge that V2 application. Many growers — now equipped with GPS-controlled sprayers — can get the job done fast, and also spray a 15-inch band over corn rows. Banding allows them to cut the per-acre rate of WakeUP Spring to around 3 ounces per acre, cutting their product cost to $2 per acre. 

Some growers add WakeUP Spring to postmerge herbicides. That provides WakeUP’s beneficial surfactant effect to help control emerged weeds, plus still accelerating sugar translocation from corn leaves to roots.

Foliar-applied WakeUP reduces surface tension
of plant sugars, making it easier to translocate
nutrients to roots and other growing points.

Professional agronomic researcher James Porterfield found that spraying WakeUP Spring on young corn intensifies root sugar content by 70% within two days after application. That translates to more root exudates of sugars, aminos and other nutrients which stimulate microbial life around roots. These nutrients are needed by beneficial soil microbes — and tiny mycorrhizae in particular. In turn, these organisms convert NPK and traces into soluble plant food for your crop.

The root feeds microbes, which in turn amplify nutrient extraction for the roots. And WakeUP Spring, flowing with the crop’s plant sap, makes it easier to translocate those nutrients throughout the crop.

The result is larger roots with more branching. In corn, that’s easy to see just by digging.

From the two-leaf stage to about the five-leaf stage, accelerated root growth is highly beneficial. That’s when corn is “deciding” its yield potential: Make 16 kernel rows, or 20 kernel rows? Healthier roots prepare the way for a bigger crop that can endure well through dry periods.

In the last three years we’ve encouraged tank-mixing another foliar ingredient with WakeUP Spring:  Vitazyme. It’s a biostimulant. Vitazyme has one of the most extensive field-testing track records we’ve seen, and we’ve found it synergistic with WakeUP. 

Here’s the V2 stage of corn that’s ideal for WakeUP Spring foliar application:

 

One of our WakeUP clients sent us this photo six years ago as an example of what
WakeUP Spring does for corn. It has a similar benefit for soybeans,
although it’s a little harder to see because soybean roots are finer
and more fragile when you dig them.