From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Winston Salem, NC

soil PH 6.8
pounds per acre available nutrient
P 138
K 168
Ca 1738
Mg 330
Calculated values for % Base Saturation
K 3.7%
Ca 74%
Mg 23%
CEC = 5.9
my plot is 600-700 sq.ft.

I think this CEC is way too low. What is the best way for me to raise it?
Thoughts...I have 12-16 inches of Manure on top of red clay, so should I maybe add humic acid or vermiculite or what to the soil? how much?
Can your CEC be too high for pumpkins?

Thanks for your help.

3/30/2012 7:29:47 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I was advised that humic acid will help raise CEC and I've been adding 50 lbs per year for the past 3 years. It has assisted in raising the CEC (along with the addition of other organic matter) so I would say go ahead with the addtion of humic acid....it won't hurt.

3/31/2012 12:53:46 AM

Tinykinville

um try to get some of you clay in your menure lol. clay has very high cec. you dont want to grow in pure menure. to much of anything is not good

3/31/2012 1:35:35 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

NSB, just curious??? 50#'s per how much size? sq. ft? or per plant? Know what I mean? Peace, Wayne

3/31/2012 2:50:31 AM

Piqua, Ohio

15 lbs. per 700 sq. ft. is what I use, too much humic is not good either. that's alot of manure, you may have disease issues with that much. Dick Wallace is the man to talk to about ammendments. Good Luck

3/31/2012 1:02:28 PM

Piqua, Ohio

above I said too much humic acid isn't good because it's wasted money! A trick I learned from my cousin who is an organic farmer, is during growing season mulch with straw, not to heavy though, this can cause it to be too wet. In the fall put two bales on your patch and work it in as far as yout tiller will go. As the straw is added to dirt it produces humic acid. If you need to buy straw find a farmer near you, the more bales you buy the better the price gets! Some I know will let you bag the loose straw from the barn, my cousin charges me a 12 pack for all the loose straw I can use.

3/31/2012 2:07:43 PM

Winston Salem, NC

Hey PJ I thought about the clay...definitely the cheapest solution. Does anyone know if there is a sweet spot we should be shooting for on the CEC for giant pumpkins?

3/31/2012 2:45:21 PM

Western PA

Sparcmat,
did you get recommendations on your test ?
Wondering if they suggested raising your ph and calcium a tad. I believe a little dolomitic lime would do both, and it should start to make the correction in 1.5 months.

If all your #'s are pounds/acre, you a VERY LOW on nutrients.
Calcium should be around 2200 ppm with a ph around 7.0. Pounds /acre for calcium should be around 6600pounds /acre.

I am pretty sure if you divide your #'s by 3, you will get ppm values. Most of us on this site are used to helping other growers in ppm values.

3/31/2012 7:00:14 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey Wayne...that was 50 lbs of granular humic acid per 1000 sq ft.

Just about to till my cover crop under and add another 50 lbs...just waiting for my soil test results first.

4/1/2012 11:29:17 AM

Tinykinville

to convert lbs/acre to ppm divide by two.

4/1/2012 9:02:48 PM

Bethlehem CT

I agree with pumpkin jam try to get some of your clay mixed with your organic matter. I just read my latest copy of the SNGPG newsletter. In it, it states that an ideal median C.E.C. is 16-17%. I am surprised yours is so low, I thought straight organic matter would have a higher C.E.C than 5.9%. I add organic matter to my soil to try and improve my C.E.C.

4/2/2012 10:13:33 PM

Winston Salem, NC

The clay here is kaolinite...CEC is still painfully low.

4/4/2012 8:51:38 AM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Kaolinite is highly absorptive and used in the anti-diarrheal product Kaopectate. No wonder when it has done its job, it cause one to s**t a brick.

4/4/2012 8:39:48 PM

Massachusetts

Now thats funny joe! lol.....

4/4/2012 11:55:05 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

You can never have to high of a CEC. My CEC has ran up in the 50+. I would add compost every year and you can add 20lbs. of Humic acid. After that, I would add 10lbs very Spring and Fall.

4/5/2012 12:28:59 AM