Sulphur has climbed, and that changes a decision a lot of growers make on autopilot: which form of sulphur to buy. This year, the form does more to your return than the price tag does.
Here is why. Plants take up sulphur as sulphate. Elemental sulphur is not sulphate — it has to be oxidized by soil bacteria before the crop can use any of it, and that conversion depends on warmth, moisture, and time. It can take weeks to most of a season to fully convert. Sulphate-form sulphur, by contrast, is available the moment the crop needs it (Canola Council of Canada). On the Prairies, where sulphur is one of the most yield-limiting nutrients, waiting on a conversion you can’t control is a real risk.
Build the base with available sulphate and calcium
SUL4R-PLUS is the dependable base layer: sulphur in available sulphate form plus calcium, delivered simply and seed-safely. It supplies foundational nutrients the crop can use now, without asking you to gamble on soil microbes finishing a conversion before peak demand.
Add an efficiency layer that feeds across the season
Polysulphate — a naturally occurring polyhalite mineral — delivers sulphate plus potassium, magnesium, and calcium in a single granule. It is low-chloride and low salt index, making it seed-safe, with a gradual release pattern that meets demand across the season (ICL Growing Solutions). Polysulphate Premium adds improved handling and spread, and Ontario growers can run the same chemistry as Matrix.
Used together, they cover both ends: available sulphate up front from the base layer, and a steady, multi-nutrient feed across the season from the efficiency layer — four nutrients (S, K, Mg, Ca) the crop would otherwise need from separate products.
The bottom line
In a high-sulphur-price year, do not overpay — in dollars or in risk — for a form the plant has to wait on. Getting season-long sulphur in a form that is available when the crop calls for it is how you turn a more expensive nutrient into the same or better return per acre. Fit it into your granular fertility program with your Taurus rep, and confirm rates with a soil test.
Sources
- Canola Council of Canada — Sulphur (Canola Encyclopedia)
- ICL Growing Solutions — Polysulphate: Polyhalite-Based Fertilizers Overview
