Fertilizer is one of the most important entity for the farms and before saving the crops, one should make sufficient efforts to save the fertilizers. Here we bring to you, a sequence of bullets on how to keep the fertilizer in good condition.
The fertilizer bags must be handled carefully when they are being off loaded. Do not allow your laborers to use hooks. Store bags properly and protect them against rain and humidity.
The main causes of damage to fertilizer bags are :
1) use of hooks
2) dragging bags along the floor, when sharp objects may make holes in them
3) Allowing bags to become wet, especially jute bags
One may ask, Can fertilizer be prevented from becoming damp in a hot and humid climate?
Well, Yes, It cannot be prevented entirely, but the dampness can be reduced , For example, Fertilizer should be kept in a well ventilated building, during the evening when the humidity is highest, the windows and vents should be closed. This would also protect the fertilizer from dampness. Dampness leads to the formation of cakes in fertilizer and Caking happens because of poor storage facilities. Caked fertilizer is quite difficult for farmers to use.
Here are some tips on proper storage of fertilizer :
1. Make sure that the floor is dry and the building is clean. The bags should not come in contact with floor walls or ceiling.
2. Make a separate stack for each type of the store so that they may be used/sold first. Avoid keeping the bags in irregular fashion like shown in the image below.
3. The bags should be positioned in a way so that to prevent slippage. Do not simply place one bag directly on top of another. Stack all bags in a criss cross fashion. Since slippage is more common with plastic bags, do not stack them too high. Jute bags can be stacked higher than plastic bags. Bags should not be kept at a height of more than 3 meters.
4. Bags can be put on clean and dry cemented floor, if the floor is first coated with bitumen, followed by a thin layer of asphalt mixed with fine sand. But this is more expensive than using local materials which gives the same results.
5. It is not advisable to store other goods near fertilizers.
Following the above mentioned steps will keep your fertilizers in a good state and can be used for a longer time. This also saves money as least of fertilizers is wasted and entire amount is properly used.
