Soil help please.

[JohnWayne]

The following is a link to the USDA soil survey of my home county. The information I can find there is of little use to me but maybe some of you can understand it.

http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Ma...23/0/Burke.pdf

The following is the section I fall into
FaD2 Fairview sandy clay loam, 15 to 25 percent slopes, moderately eroded

I am on a ridge above the Catawba river and i would guess that I am 100-150 feet above the river bed. Unlike what is stated above from the survey, I would say the soil under me is heavy red clay.

A few years ago I amended the soil in my 10,000 square foot garden with about 7 tons of sand and silt from the river and this has been a huge help as for working the soil.

I am about to lime my garden and read in the above link that when reseeding for grass, I should use 75 lbs of lime and 20 lbs of 10-10-10 per 1000 sq feet.

I have a question or 5. Would it make a difference if I used powdered limestone or pellet ?

And the second question, Can I use 17-17-17 in place of the 10-10-10 and if so, How much per 1000 sq feet in place of the 20 lbs ?

The rest of my questions have to do with adding organic matter. There is a wood chipper mill a few miles from me and I can buy pretty much all the wood mulch I would want at a good price. I am thinking about mulching around my tomatoes and between the rows with either the wood chips or with hay. I have just found a man with round hay bales for 15 bucks each. This is a little more costly than the wood chips and there is always the concern of herbicides. But other than that, I have no clue as to what would be better or even if both are a bad idea.

I could maybe buy leaves from a near by town if that would be better.

BTW, I don't live on the lake pictured in the link above (It is about a mile from me as the crow flies, Beautiful isn't it ?) but my view of that mountain is about as good.

Thanks in advance.

[RayR]

Pelletized dolomite lime is the same thing as powdered dolomite lime, it's just made into pellets so it can be used with a spreader. The pellets fall apart when wet.
Do you know the PH of your soil?

[sio2rocks]

Johnwayne,

If you read the full soil profile description it states that most of soil profile is clay loam (meaning a heavy clay soil) and sometimes the a layer, or uppermost layer, is a sandy clay loam. However those are averages for a fairly wide region and probably at your location most of the a layer has been stripped off as you stated (only left with the heavy clay soil beneath). As it goes on to state you have moderately acid to very acid soil so adding lime is a good idea to correct the problem.

I would take a sample of your soil from several locations in the area where you want to add lime and go to the county extension service in your area. They will test it and give you not only the fertility breakdown but also the amounts of cations and overall pH of your samples. Usually they will have recommendations for the amounts of various fertilizers and amendments (lime in your case) to help correct the problems shown in the soil test. If they aren't on the test then ask the extension agent to help with the calculations. This way you can be sure to add the right amounts of amendments to fix the problem instead of possibly adding too little or too much and creating more problems.

Best,
Colin

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by JohnWayne

The following is a link to the USDA soil survey of my home county. The information I can find there is of little use to me but maybe some of you can understand it.

http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/Ma...23/0/Burke.pdf



I am about to lime my garden and read in the above link that when reseeding for grass, I should use 75 lbs of lime and 20 lbs of 10-10-10 per 1000 sq feet.



And the second question, Can I use 17-17-17 in place of the 10-10-10 and if so, How much per 1000 sq feet in place of the 20 lbs ?

Yes you can. It should be 10/17th or without getting the calculator out or about 12lb/1000 sq ft.