Soil sample results

[Gardeneer]

OK, got report by email. waiting for the hard copy.
Basically it looks pretty good for a first year garden, converted from grass.

Garden pH = 7.1
A bit too high and I know why. I added too much wood ash.

Topsoil by the creek (Lots of organic matter). pH =4.6. as expected pretty acidic.
Aha. I have a pile of it. I will bring some and add/mix in to my garden soil to lower the pH.

Topsoil (the above)/ wood ash ( 50/50) >pH =6.9 ... perfect. I wanted to know how to effect is and how to mix them.

P, K: as it is always the case : IN ABUNDANCE. so is Ca, Mg.
N : as always very low. I've got the solution. I have 2 gallons of concentrated Fish fert: 5-1-1

Now , instead shooting in the dark , I see the target to shoot at.

[JosephineRose]

Where are you getting your soil tested, if I may ask? I'd like to do so.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by JosephineRose

Where are you getting your soil tested, if I may ask? I'd like to do so.

Here in NC, it is done by the county ag-cooperative extension office.
It is a free service to to a certain limit.
Most states provide this service. Some do if free of charge an some for a small fee.

[Worth1]

If you cant grow in that soil you cant grow.
Worth

[ilex]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I am not a soil expert but from what I have read over the years, tomato can grow and thrive in a wide pH range ; 5.8 to almost 7. But most garden veggies do well with somewhat acid soil and 6.8 being the ideal.

I've got 8.5, and there's a member here that has 8.9. I don't have problems with tomatoes.

[brownrexx]

I was really surprised when I got my soil test report this week and phosphate, potash and calcium were off the scale high.

Too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing and excess nutrients can become toxic or tie up certain micronutrients so that they are not available to our plants. My levels are not this high but I don't want them to get any higher so I am laying off the compost for at least a year.

I am an organic gardener and I only add compost, grass clippings and things of that nature. I called the director of the lab at Penn State and discussed it and he said that definitely compost can raise certain nutrient levels like phosphate too high.

I always thought that my fully planted garden would deplete enough nutrients to need compost every year but I guess not. He suggested only side dressing with blood meal or feather meal this year for an organic nitrogen source. He also sent me a link to a nice publication about Using Organic Nutrient Sources. It has lots of good information.

http://extension.psu.edu/publications/uj256

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

I was really surprised when I got my soil test report this week and phosphate, potash and calcium were off the scale high.

Too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing and excess nutrients can become toxic or tie up certain micronutrients so that they are not available to our plants. My levels are not this high but I don't want them to get any higher so I am laying off the compost for at least a year.

I am an organic gardener and I only add compost, grass clippings and things of that nature. I called the director of the lab at Penn State and discussed it and he said that definitely compost can raise certain nutrient levels like phosphate too high.

I always thought that my fully planted garden would deplete enough nutrients to need compost every year but I guess not. He suggested only side dressing with blood meal or feather meal this year for an organic nitrogen source. He also sent me a link to a nice publication about Using Organic Nutrient Sources. It has lots of good information.

http://extension.psu.edu/publications/uj256

I have been preaching the gospel here for a long long time that these so called ((Tomato)) fertilizers are for the most part not what you want to use.

Just about everyone that gets samples back get the same results way high in P and K and calcium and low in nitrogen.

The other one is compost.
Compost isn't fertilizer it is a soil builder.
Hot composting for sure.
Cold composting the way I do it allows nature and worms to put nutrients in the soil the way it is supposed to do.
Not burn nitrogen up breaking it down.

I have yet to put so much nitrogen on my plants they didn't produce an abundance of fruit.
That is even up to the point of almost burning them.
This is because I use for the most part a balanced fertilizer.

Worth

[brownrexx]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I have been preaching the gospel here for a long long time that these so called ((Tomato)) fertilizers are for the most part not what you want to use.

Compost isn't fertilizer it is a soil builder. Worth

Actually compost IS a fertilizer and since it is so high in nutrients, especially if it contains manure like mine, then the nutrient levels can become excessive if you keep adding it to your garden every year.

This is why the lab director at Penn State told me to only add Nitrogen. Nitrogen is very volatile and you pretty much will need it every year but the other nutrients levels will be fine without adding them every year.

I did some research online and NC State Extension says that:

Excess P can cause micronutrient deficiencies in Zn, Fe and Co.

Excess K can cause a Nitrogen deficiency and may effect uptake of other nutrients.

Excess Ca causes a high pH and interferes with Mg absorption.

This is why I do not recommend a "balanced" fertilizer. Only add what you need and in my case that is only Nitrogen so I will side dress with either the bone or feather meal. No need for anything else or it will add to the excess that my soil already has.

[Worth1]

Compost is not all alike it is a generalized term.
Composted chicken manure isn't the same as composted leaves.

You have to pick you fertilizers by what you use in your soil and what your soil is.

[brownrexx]

I think that most compost is a mixture of "greens" and "browns" not just one thing like an animal manure or leaves but in any case it is high in nutrients and if it is added to the garden year after year it will raise the nutrient levels higher than is wanted, especially the phosphates.

This is from the Penn State Lab, not my opinion. Actually I never realized this before.

[Gardeneer]

I agree with Worth. Not all composts are created equal.
I look at is as soil amendment. Well of course if you get some TRUE cow/horse/chicken manure they have some nutrients but not composted forest material. They are good amendment to controls nutrients release. So they can also steal the nutrients for a while and release them gradually. That is good. Compost is good with organic fertilizer to as it is a source of microbial activity. But sor some one (like me) using synthetic fertilizer that is not important. JMO

[barbamWY]

Neither Wyoming or Montana have soil testing through their Extensions Offices. I went to the one here and I was given the information to send it to Colorado. But there is a company in Billings Montana that does. If you go to the web and look up the extension offices or the Master Gardener program there is usually links of where to send a sample to.
I am waiting on my results from Billings. Our soil is slightly alkaline and low in Nitrogen and I am waiting to see what the results show. I did use only organic nitrogen last year and I added peat moss. I am afraid to use local manure or straw because contamination in herbicides has happened here.
A friend swears he needs minerals without testing his soil so I am anxious to see what mine shows.
Barb

[Gardeneer]

Probably Montana and Wyoming are cattle country and so they don't bother with soil testing.I passed thru those states (I-90E) last Sep. and can't remember seeing any farm/crop.

Nitrogen is often low. Because it leaches and also plants use more of it than P and K.

[barbamWY]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Probably Montana and Wyoming are cattle country and so they don't bother with soil testing.I passed thru those states (I-90E) last Sep. and can't remember seeing any farm/crop.

Nitrogen is often low. Because it leaches and also plants use more of it than P and K.

Where I live in Wyoming, farmers raise sugar beets, barley for Coors and Budweiser, alfalfa, dry beans and some corn for feed. Montana has a lot of wheat in the central plains. Look up Wheat Montana. There is also some potato farming as well. I grew up in south central Montana from a long line of farmers. My family mostly raised crops for feed, such as corn and alfalfa. There are a lot of backyard gardeners and people still process food for winter storage. My Grandmother had a garden that was several acres. They raised all of their food and they had seven boys to feed. My one Aunt spent many days canning with her mother. And there are a lot of sheep in Montana, my family raised both but more sheep than cattle.
Barb

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by barbamWY

Where I live in Wyoming, farmers raise sugar beets, barley for Coors and Budweiser, alfalfa, dry beans and some corn for feed. Montana has a lot of wheat in the central plains. Look up Wheat Montana. There is also some potato farming as well. I grew up in south central Montana from a long line of farmers. My family mostly raised crops for feed, such as corn and alfalfa. There are a lot of backyard gardeners and people still process food for winter storage. My Grandmother had a garden that was several acres. They raised all of their food and they had seven boys to feed. My one Aunt spent many days canning with her mother. And there are a lot of sheep in Montana, my family raised both but more sheep than cattle.
Barb

Yeah, My simplistic observation just based on passing thru on I-90
had been incorrect then. I think It took one day driving thru Montana almost non stop.
Most County extensions actually do not have a lab. They send out the samples to somewhere else. I remember my soil samples in WA was sent to a lab in Oregon state. But here, the NC State University has a lab.