Tanuki

19/02/2026

Copper Sulphate: Where Its Limitations Show

Copper sulphate has long been used – often because it was inexpensive.
But cost has never been the only consideration.

In many systems, copper sulphate shows limitations, including:
🔺 Higher risk of leaf injury in sensitive crops
🔺 Soil acidification over time
🔺 Low efficiency in high pH soils
🔺 Narrow margin between deficiency and crop sensitivity

As costs increased, awareness of these limitations grew.

Different copper forms behave differently. Some are:
🟢 Gentler on leaves
🟢 More stable in variable water pH
🟢 Less reactive with soil carbonates
🟢 More efficient at lower rates

💡 Form determines behaviour – and behaviour determines outcomes.

Field takeaway: Copper sulphate’s limitations are agronomic — not just economic.

📌 Mighty Micros: Copper
Missed our last post? It talks about copper in sugarcane and questions if enough is being done.

17/02/2026

Copper in Sugarcane: Are We Doing Enough?

Many cane regions sit on soils with strong copper tie‑up — sandy loams, low OM, high pH.

That means copper response depends heavily on:
👉 Form
👉 Placement
👉 Soil-contact
👉 Timing

The question isn’t “Is copper used?”
It’s “Is copper available when cane needs it most?”

💡 Cane relies on early establishment and growth — copper supports it.

Field takeaway: Copper is often under-prioritised in cane systems.

📌 Mighty Micros: Copper
Missed our last post? It talks about copper deficiency being one of the most misdiagnosed problems in cropping.

12/02/2026

Copper deficiency is one of the most misdiagnosed nutrient problems in cropping.

Symptoms like:
🔺 Pale or distorted new leaves
🔺 Weak stems and lodging
🔺 Poor pollen development
🔺 Dieback
…are often blamed on disease, stress or environment.
But the underlying issue is often micronutrient, not pathology.

💡 Correct diagnosis avoids unnecessary inputs and protects yield potential.

Field takeaway: If disease doesn’t explain symptoms, check copper early.

Mighty Micros: Copper
📌 Missed our last post? It explains why continuous farming makes copper harder to manage.

11/02/2026

Why Continuous Farming Makes Copper Harder to Manage 🚜

Continuous cropping systems change soil chemistry — and copper pays the price.

Over time, we see:
▪️ Organic matter declines → less copper held in soil
▪️ Higher pH → more copper tied up
▪️ High phosphorus levels → increased risk of micronutrient antagonism
▪️ Less residue return → fewer micronutrient inputs

Copper may be “in the soil”…
but that doesn’t mean it’s available.

💡 Soil change drives micronutrient change.

Field takeaway: Long-term soil change makes copper access harder, not easier.

Mighty Micros: Copper

📍Missed our last post? It explains why copper is one of the most mismanaged micronutrients.

09/02/2026

Why Copper Is One of the Most Mismanaged Micronutrients

Copper deficiency is less common than zinc — but when it occurs, the yield and quality penalties can be significant.

In Australian systems, copper sits in a narrow margin between deficiency and excess, which is why it’s often mismanaged.

Why Copper Behaves Differently
🔸 Sandy, low organic matter soils struggle to hold copper
🔸 Alkaline soils reduce copper availability
🔸 Copper is poorly redistributed within the plant
🔸 Excess copper can cause growth issues in sensitive crops

The challenge isn’t just identifying copper deficiency.
It’s managing copper carefully — at the right rate, in the right place, at the right time.

💡 Copper is about balance, not blanket application.

Field takeaway: Copper requires care — deficiency and excess can sit close together.

📌 Mighty Micros: Copper
Missed our last post? It talks about the interactions between zinc and copper.

06/02/2026

Why Zinc and Copper Need to Be Considered Together

A new month means the next chapter in our Mighty Micros series. We’re shifting from zinc to copper — but before we get there, it’s worth looking at how these two micronutrients interact.

Zinc and copper are often managed separately.
In reality, they operate in the same part of the system — early growth, limited mobility, high sensitivity.

What They Have in Common
Both are:
🔷 Required early in crop development
🔷 Poorly mobile in soil and plant
🔷 Strongly influenced by form, placement and timing

Because of this, they can influence each other’s uptake. A constraint in one can limit the response to the other — even when both are technically “present”.

When Interactions Become Problems
Zinc–copper antagonism is most likely when:
🔺 Rates are pushed hard to correct a deficiency
🔺 Applications are repeated without reassessing status
🔺 Soil reserves of one (or both) are already marginal

This doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be used together — it means balance matters more than rate.

Over‑correcting one micronutrient can create a new limitation elsewhere.

The Real Reason Responses Sometimes Fail
When zinc or copper don’t respond as expected, the issue is often interaction, not absence.

💡 Micronutrients don’t work in isolation — they work in balance.

Field takeaway: Single‑nutrient fixes don’t always resolve multi‑nutrient constraints.

Next, we’ll look at why copper is one of the most mismanaged micronutrients — and what that means when you’re managing it alongside zinc.

04/02/2026

Supporting the crops that support us – cotton edition! 👕✨

This month, we’re looking beyond food - to what we wear.

Cotton is one of Australia’s most important and innovative agricultural industries, with growers across Queensland and New South Wales producing fibre recognised globally for its quality and efficiency.

What we admire most about the cotton industry is its focus on continuous improvement - did you know Australian cotton growers are among the most water-efficient in the world?

We recently updated our uniforms to reflect our new branding and our team are now proudly wearing Australian-grown cotton, supplied by Australian-owned RB Sellars - a choice that reflects the growers, regions and industries we work alongside everyday.

If you’re heading to the 2026 Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast this August, keep an eye out - we’ll be there.

02/02/2026

Foliar Zinc: Cosmetic Fix or Structural Solution?

Foliar zinc has its place — but it’s often misunderstood.

Applied later in the season, foliar zinc can improve leaf colour and visual appearance.

What it can’t do is rebuild early structure already lost to zinc stress.

Why Foliar Zinc Falls Short

🔸 Zinc demand peaks early — during root development and growing point formation
🔸 Once those stages pass, yield potential is already set
🔸 Foliar zinc treats symptoms, not the underlying root-zone constraint

That’s why crops can look greener after foliar zinc yet show limited yield response.

💡 Root-zone zinc builds yield. Foliar zinc polishes it.

Key takeaway: Foliar zinc maintains appearance; root-zone zinc determines yield.

Mighty Micros: Zinc
📌 Missed our last post? It explains why zinc form matters more than rate.

29/01/2026

Why Zinc Form Matters More Than Rate

When zinc underperforms, the instinct is often to apply more.

But in Australian soils, rate is rarely the limiting factor — form is.

Different zinc sources behave very differently once they hit the soil.

Why Form Changes the Outcome

🔸 Solubility
Some forms dissolve quickly; others persist longer under challenging soil conditions.

🔸 Mobility
Zinc moves very little in soil — if it’s not plant-available near roots, it won’t be accessed.

🔸 Stability
Certain forms are more prone to being tied up by pH, phosphorus and carbonate chemistry.

Two zinc programs can apply the same rate —
and deliver very different results.

💡 Effective zinc is about delivery, not dose.

Key takeaway: Zinc rate is easy — zinc delivery is hard.

Mighty Micros: Zinc
📌 Missed our last post? It explains why soil-applied zinc doesn’t always fix zinc deficiency.

28/01/2026

Why Soil-Applied Zinc Doesn’t Always Fix Zinc Deficiency

👉 Relevant to annual crops at establishment.

Applying zinc to soil doesn’t guarantee the crop can use it.

In Australian annual cropping systems, zinc failure is rarely about rate — it’s about access, timing and placement.

That’s why zinc deficiency can persist even after soil application.

The Three Most Common Failure Points

🔸 Availability
Soil-applied zinc can quickly become unavailable in alkaline, sandy or low-organic-matter soils.

🔸 Placement
Zinc sitting outside the active root zone may never be intercepted when early demand peaks.

🔸 Timing
Zinc demand is highest very early — during root development and tiller initiation.
Late soil applications can improve colour, but they can’t rebuild lost structure.

💡 If zinc isn’t available, in the right place, at the right time — the crop behaves as if it was never applied.

Field takeaway: Soil zinc programs fail on access, not intent.

Mighty Micros: Zinc
📌 Missed our last zinc post? It explains why zinc deficiency is commonly misdiagnosed for nitrogen deficiency.

21/01/2026

Pale crops aren’t always short of nitrogen.

Early in the season, zinc deficiency is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed nutrient issues, particularly in cereals — often mistaken for nitrogen stress.

The result?
Nitrogen gets applied…
but the real constraint remains.

How to Tell the Difference

🔸 Nitrogen deficiency
• Symptoms begin on older leaves
• Nitrogen is remobilised to new growth

🔸 Zinc deficiency
• Symptoms appear first in new leaves and growing points
• Reduced tillering, stunted early growth, slower canopy development

Both can look similar from the ute.
Only one responds to more nitrogen.

💡 Early tissue testing is the fastest way to confirm the cause and avoid costly misdiagnosis.

Key takeaway: New-growth symptoms early are rarely fixed with more nitrogen.

Mighty Micros: Zinc
📌 Missed our first post? It explains why zinc deficiency is so common in Australian soils.

15/01/2026

Proud to support the berry sector alongside industry partners. 😊🍓🫐

Whether it’s soil, foliar, or hydroponic nutrition, our chelate range is built to support growers—and our team is always ready to help.

Backing the berry industry, together 🍓

Berry Industry Partner (BIP) members are committed businesses that work closely with growers to support strong, productive berry farms.

Across crop protection, irrigation, cooling, protected cropping, equipment, berry plants and growing media, BIP members provide the tools and expertise that help berry businesses thrive.

👉 Discover our Berry Industry Partners and learn how they can support your operation.

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