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Montoursville, PA

I read here that many are using a three to six inch addition of manures yearly. Some use much more. This would be best added in the fall of the year. This is one of the most important things a grower can do. Spring addition of manures and the elements of compost is much less effective and possibly counter productive to immediate patch condition.

Leaves are free. Huge amounts of leaves in the fall will compliment and improve. This is best done by grinding them into smaller bits. Tilling helps do this. Grinding is excellent. Running over them with a bagging mower is a make shift grinder but it helps speed breakdown in the patch.

I consider the summers compost as a manure. It added in the fall will do great things towards helping your total building program. It is a good additive anytime.

A fall cover crop is a very valuable practice. It does a huge rebuilding job when it is tilled under in the spring.
I prefer annual rye because it does not grow back after tilling in the spring...much if at all. It will be consumed largely by planting time, in most years, and not tie up valuable nitrogen you put there with your fall additives.

Using molasses at the rate of one to two ounces per gallon of water applied simply enables your natural working program. You can hardly over do it at this rate. Two gallons applied to a 1000 sq. ft. will cost maybe fifty cents and make a heck of a long term differnce for anyone's building program. I use a minimum of one application a week, every week.

Doing this total effort you will likely by test have all the nutrients you need to grow successfully except nitrogen.
Consider using blood, feather meal to the soil. Use fish and kelp as foliar feeding....including an ounce of molasses with each gallon of applied foliar feed.

8/20/2003 10:22:18 AM

Montoursville, PA

Now if you can just trust and reduce or eliminate the synthetic fertilizers your patch will in time recover to unbelieveable performance. As you learn there are more things you can do depending on your personal desires and budgets.

As we tell our new growers to get Don's book and read you need to start reading about basic organic or healthy patch development and plan accordingly. Contrary to popular belief this will not attract undesirable anything. It will in fact do just the opposite. It will cost you less to have a good growing medium in the long run. Maintenance of all you wish for will become easier and a pleasure to observe.

I site Don Quijot's patch results as the patch I would most like to have someday. There is one natural healthy patch! I think you all know what is in progress in that patch. Way to go Don!

8/20/2003 10:22:43 AM

Montoursville, PA

Here is a twenty dollar investment in a dandy book you could hardly better! "Dear Dirt Doctor", Howard Garrett, University of Texas press. Can order on line for 16.95. I think it is perhaps the finest such book ever written in terms you and I can understand and follow.

8/20/2003 10:29:18 AM

Oz

does dehydration of molasses weaken or ruin it?
and where can i get the liquid in bulk? 25/50gal,,cheap..

8/21/2003 1:10:22 AM

Montoursville, PA

Cheap is not always the right road to follow. Dehydrated would be fine but not quite as good as cattle grade Black Strap Molasses. Farm feed stores carry the liquid and this time it is the least expensive. Less than five dollars a gallon.

Every time a product is processed it loses some of its value. Dehydration is one step further processed.

8/21/2003 10:19:42 AM

Salt Lake City, UT

Dear Dirt Doctor is coming out in paperback on Amazon for $11.87. You can preorder now.

Looking at DonQ's results I am quickly believing that soil prep is a big deal. Thanks for the tip on the book.

8/21/2003 11:38:54 AM

Salt Lake City, UT

Where can I find annual Rye?

8/21/2003 11:39:48 AM

Oz

what do they make molasses from? hmmm rye makes bread. bread makes pennicillin....hmmmm

8/21/2003 12:43:24 PM

Montoursville, PA

Annual Rye Grass may not be the best answer for all. Winter Rye most often stays alive, even under snow. It then makes some early growth befor you till in the spring.

It is usually so late, in planting here, that I get a few inches and then it frosts and freezes up. First dry day, in the spring, I want to till. The annual can not or seldom gives any spring growth. That's OK in my thinking for this backyard patch. If your conditions would hold over a green cover crop and show you some spring growth that would be better for you.

If you have a long grass growing season and early spring there are even better considerations. Garden's Alive does a nice job of explaining cover crops of various types.

8/21/2003 1:33:51 PM

Montoursville, PA

Molasses is a product of the sugar cane industry.

8/22/2003 9:43:17 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

It might be worth noting that Molasses contains nothing that plants can directly utilize. Rather the bacteria in soil have a field day with it. The dynamic & complex nature of soils prevents detailed explaination at this time. But suffice to say that Molasses & other sucrose containing materials can all stimulate bacteria.

Steve

8/22/2003 5:37:36 PM

Montoursville, PA

In addition molasses added to spray material can stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms on the leaf surface. These friendly microbes help fight off the harmful pathogens. Perhaps we may not really know why and perhaps none have absolutely proved it. This is one of those associations that really needs no proof it just happens.

Healthy plants resist and survive while less healthy fail. Why they fail is not always known either. In nature failures feed the healthy plants. So often in gardening we try to save the dying and sick. We hate to let nature run her course. The intervention of natural growing and dying is interrupted by using harsh chemicals. I'm not really sure why we insist on playing games with mother but most of us do. Guess we have to prove from time to time how foolish we can be.

8/22/2003 11:07:11 PM

porterville, calif.

I added molasses to my mixture of fish and sea weed. I was gone for 3 days and my 582.5 Cramer gained 52 lbs. Best growth increase so far. Looks like i have a chance at maybe 400 lbs now... Greg

8/25/2003 3:16:29 AM

Montoursville, PA

Nice Greg.....More than weight is happening. Total health of soil and fruit is improving because you are helping the total environment, in a positive way. Now get that book: Dear Dirt Doctor, Garrett, Texas University Press. It will help you understand what you have just done and how to improve even more by just flat out walking away from synthetic chemistry. Thousands daily are discovering they can build better rather than blindly nuke their soils.

While you are waiting for the book start tossing your coffee grounds into you compost or onto the surface of the patch.

8/25/2003 9:10:54 AM

Tipp City, Ohio

Are the coffee grounds too acidic to be thrown directly onto the patch?...Tom

8/25/2003 1:18:57 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Hey Tom, pick up three 5 gallon pails a week at the local morning coffee stop. Yes they are acidic but if your not throwng lbs on all at once it will be fine. I have a compost spot where I throw most of them and it is full of worms that I bought last year...breeding like crazy...also recommended as a food for them from the worm farm...a cup of lime will take away any worries you might have.

8/25/2003 3:06:34 PM