my soil sample-opinions please - Page 2

TightenUp · April 27, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbee

Jeff,

I'm by no means an expert but I always have an opinion

So it sounds to me like you need to add some form of potassium either in the form of sulfate of potash or your 2-0-3 ferts the lab recommends. That's crucial for this year and will make your tomatoes perform much better. Greensand will work well too...but it's going to take a bit longer to work. You could go the 2-0-3 route and greensand, the 2-0-3 would give your soil a boost until your greensand can kick in. Or, you could get it all done with one fell swoop and add the potash. If your lab is recommending the 2-0-3, then I'd almost think (and I'm just guessing here) that your N must be a tad low too...so the 2-0-3 would give you both nitrogen and potassium. If you go the potash route, you might have to add in a nitrogen source somewhere.

The sulfer to lower your ph, I'd probably use less than the recommended amount, re-test in the fall, and go from there. The only reason I say this is because if you took your soil sample when the ground was cold, your ph reading might not be 100% accurate. Another good reason to test in the fall vs the spring

Just curious here, did add anything to your soil either last fall or just before sending out your soil test? Manure possibly? Gypsum? Bonemeal?

if i read the report correctly the lab wants a fert in the 2-0-3 ration. not necessarily those low numbers. so a 20-0-30 would also be fine.

i did my soil test a couple weeks ago so the soil wasnt warmed up yet.

i did not add anything to my soil last fall or before the soil test. for no reason the guy that rototilled my garden added mushroom compost and before that i added kelp meal which is a 1-0-2.

i am going to add about half the recommended dose of espoma soil acidifier. that is unless someone here gives me a reason not to.

barkeater · April 28, 2011

Jeff,

It doesn't matter that the soil was cold. I'm sure it was plenty warm enough by the time it was tested in the lab. The most important thing was whether or not your soil sample was taken from just one spot in the garden. Hopefully you took from 4-5 spots in the garden and mixed them together to get your sample.

fortyonenorth · April 28, 2011

The Kelp wouldn't skew your soil test, but the mushroom compost may have. Do you have a previous soil test with which to compare this one? It's hard to say for sure, but if your tiller added a lot of MC into the test zone this could have significantly raised your % organic matter, your calcium and, consequently, your pH. - mushroom growers heavily lime their substrate.

With regard to your fertilizer - you're right - as long as the ratio is the same, it's just a matter of how much you add: 2-0-3 added at twice the rate of 4-0-6 would give you exactly the same result. As you know from your soil test, your K is low. Adding sufficient ferts to raise that number into a desirable range is going to be adding a whole lot of N as well - whether or not you need N depends on what you have already and what crops you're growing.

Finally, about your pH. You're at 7.4 - that's a bit high, but not off the charts by any means. Adding elemental sulfur (90% S) will bring that down over time, but it's also rough on the soil microorganisms in the short term. I still think P. sulfate is your best bet. Either way, as Barbee pointed out, go easy and test again in the fall.

TightenUp · April 28, 2011

Fortyone

Sorry for the mix up. The kelp and mushroom were added after the soil test. I know the kelp would be ok but I'm not sure what the mushroom compost did

TightenUp · April 28, 2011

Bark

The test was done with soil from 4 spots and I followed the directions from the lab when gathering the soil

ireilly · April 28, 2011

Realize too that applying nitrogen to the soil promotes acidification by creating salts.

My simple test is - if I have lots of earthworms, the soil is balanced enough for me.

Legumes and brassicas like a higher pH too.

I'm a big believer in adding leaves to the soil and letting the nightcrawlers take care of rebalancing things.

I realize that your timeline may not allow this right now. I usually try to fold in both leaves and green manures in the fall.

Animal manures tend to acidify the soil too, and sometimes raise the salt levels, especially for cow manure.

But I agree with the approach that said to feed the soil if possible and the rest will take care of itself.

Sorry, a bit rambling.

April 28, 2011	#17
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Jeff, It doesn't matter that the soil was cold. I'm sure it was plenty warm enough by the time it was tested in the lab. The most important thing was whether or not your soil sample was taken from just one spot in the garden. Hopefully you took from 4-5 spots in the garden and mixed them together to get your sample. __________________ barkeater

April 28, 2011	#18
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	The Kelp wouldn't skew your soil test, but the mushroom compost may have. Do you have a previous soil test with which to compare this one? It's hard to say for sure, but if your tiller added a lot of MC into the test zone this could have significantly raised your % organic matter, your calcium and, consequently, your pH. - mushroom growers heavily lime their substrate. With regard to your fertilizer - you're right - as long as the ratio is the same, it's just a matter of how much you add: 2-0-3 added at twice the rate of 4-0-6 would give you exactly the same result. As you know from your soil test, your K is low. Adding sufficient ferts to raise that number into a desirable range is going to be adding a whole lot of N as well - whether or not you need N depends on what you have already and what crops you're growing. Finally, about your pH. You're at 7.4 - that's a bit high, but not off the charts by any means. Adding elemental sulfur (90% S) will bring that down over time, but it's also rough on the soil microorganisms in the short term. I still think P. sulfate is your best bet. Either way, as Barbee pointed out, go easy and test again in the fall.

April 28, 2011	#19
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	Fortyone Sorry for the mix up. The kelp and mushroom were added after the soil test. I know the kelp would be ok but I'm not sure what the mushroom compost did

April 28, 2011	#21
ireilly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 344	Realize too that applying nitrogen to the soil promotes acidification by creating salts. My simple test is - if I have lots of earthworms, the soil is balanced enough for me. Legumes and brassicas like a higher pH too. I'm a big believer in adding leaves to the soil and letting the nightcrawlers take care of rebalancing things. I realize that your timeline may not allow this right now. I usually try to fold in both leaves and green manures in the fall. Animal manures tend to acidify the soil too, and sometimes raise the salt levels, especially for cow manure. But I agree with the approach that said to feed the soil if possible and the rest will take care of itself. Sorry, a bit rambling.