Soil or foliar application: how to choose

Soil application and foliar application move nutrients into the plant through two different routes, and each is suited to a different problem. Soil-applied nutrients are taken up through the roots and build the base nutrition a crop draws on all season. Foliar-applied nutrients are absorbed directly through the leaf surface, bypassing the soil entirely.

When soil application is the right call

Soil application — whether broadcast, fertigated, or banded — is the foundation of any nutrition programme. It suits macronutrients (N-P-K) and any input needed in volume over a sustained period, because the soil acts as a reservoir the crop draws from as it grows.

When foliar application is the right call

Foliar application is faster and more targeted, which makes it the tool of choice for correcting an acute micronutrient deficiency — iron chlorosis, for example, often shows visible improvement within days of a foliar correction, versus weeks for a soil-applied fix. It's also useful when soil conditions (high pH, waterlogging, cold) are actively blocking root uptake of a nutrient that's technically present in the soil.

Using both together

• Build the base with soil-applied macronutrients across the crop cycle.
• Reach for foliar application when you need to correct a deficiency fast, or when soil chemistry is blocking uptake.
• Match the corrector to the method: Las Raíces' MicroRaiz range is formulated for both soil and foliar application, so the same deficiency can be corrected either way depending on how urgently you need a response.

Neither method replaces the other — a programme that uses soil application for the season's nutrient budget and foliar application for fast, targeted correction gets the best of both.