Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

Kutztown, PA

Based on a soil Boron level of .7 and a extractible/solution boron of .5 with calcium in the 3000's should I be adding Boron? Thanks for your answer in advance.

My lab results are in the Diary Section if anyone wants to give them a look and help me decide if I need to break out the borax.

4/22/2022 8:21:39 AM

Central Illinois

I don't see it in the diary pages

4/23/2022 5:15:36 AM

Moby Mike Pumpkins

Wisconsin

bump her up to 3ppm

4/23/2022 6:56:10 AM

Kutztown, PA

Found this on the web: Calculation to raise the boron levels 1ppm per square foot using regular borax. 10 pounds of borax contain approximately 10% boron by weight, or 1lb. 1lb of any element spread over 1 acre = 1ppm in a furrow slice.

So 1 acre = 43560 sq ft.
My 19 raised beds total 768 sq ft.
768 = 0.017% of 43560

10lbs = 4530 grams (approximately. close enough for what I'm doing)
1lb = 453 grams

453 grams of boron will cover an acre at 1ppm, so I need 0.017% of 453 grams, which is 7.7 grams of boron for my 768 sq ft of raised beds, or 77 grams of borax. 77 grams of granular borax spread over 768 sq ft = approx. 0.1 gram per square foot, close enough for what I'm doing.

0.1 gram of borax will add approximately 1ppm of boron to 1sq ft of soil 6 inches deep.
one my my 4x8 raised beds has 32 sq ft and needs approx. 3.2 grams of borax per bed. 3.5 grams, for all intensive purposes, is 1/8 oz.

I have digital scales with accurate readability to the tenth of a gram, so I was able to easily weigh out 3.2 grams of borax. 3.2 grams of borax hardly fills a tablespoon, so broadcasting the granules by hand was out of the question. I added the borax to a full watering can and watered it in with even distribution to the best of my ability. I discovered borax dissolves in cold water about the same speed as a snail crossing a desert, so I pitched it and started over with a couple cups of piping hot water, and with a little stirring it quickly dissolved and I added that to my watering can and topped it off with water.

I hope this will help anyone who wants to boost boron levels in their small garden If anyone sees an error in my math, please let me know.

All of the above was taken from google. I did not write any of this myself so examine the math. Seems good to me!

Thanks Mike for the advice!

4/25/2022 10:52:46 AM

Grittyville, WA

Thumbs up. Its more of a challenge to apply the correct amount to a very small plot.

4/25/2022 2:04:26 PM

Kutztown, PA

Using the math above as a go by, for me to take up 4,640 sf from .7 ppm to 3 ppm (2.3 ppm) I calculated I need to apply 98 grams of 10% Borax. Does anyone have time to confirm that?

4/25/2022 4:13:37 PM

Kutztown, PA

I meant 108 grams not 98.

4/25/2022 4:16:48 PM

Grittyville, WA

10 lbs of borax would do an acre?
4,600 ft is about 1/10 of an acre. So dont you need more than 108 grams of borax? Im lost...

4/25/2022 5:21:43 PM

Grittyville, WA

768 = 0.017% of 43560

You mean 1.7%

4/25/2022 5:23:43 PM

Grittyville, WA

"453 grams of boron will cover an acre."

So 10 lbs of borax.

I dont know... Your calculations looked good to me at first but I think my calculations are a bit different.

4/25/2022 5:27:31 PM

Grittyville, WA

When google lifts its answers off permie forums... then Google is only as smart as the average internet user... hence its batting average is .500 at best. Trash bin ;)

4/25/2022 7:33:20 PM

Grittyville, WA

I didnt realize you lifted this off google answers... google garbage, imho... Need someone else to chime in here please.

4/25/2022 7:37:07 PM

pumpkinpal2

Syracuse, NY

I guess the recommendation of .8 ppm to 1.2 ppm 'doesn't mean anything' and was the .5 lbs recommendation ('*' - we don't see that detail) for the actual 768 square feet? More likely, it is for an acre; That would be .5 actual pounds of Boron (5 pounds of Borax) divided into 43560 (Just wondered, for when I start doing soil testing again, next year, lol---eg so, 5 lbs. Borax divided into 43560, then multiply X 768 for the final amount...768 SF = 0.017631 acre, so if 5 is for one acre then how much for this lil' RB patch? Product of the means equals the product of the extremes, so:
5/(is to)43560 = (as) X/(is to)768
So, 5*768=3840...dividing both sides by 43560 leaves us with (3840/43560)=X and X = .088154 pounds total for the 768 SF. That is to bring it up to the * rec of 1.2 ppm. Very close to 40 grams and then each of 19 RBs gets 1/19th of that in what, one gallon of water, each?

PS---too tired for this, lol---
Mike grows the BIGGEST pumpkin(s), so, whatever he did, lol---eg

4/26/2022 4:58:40 AM

pumpkinpal2

Syracuse, NY

For quick reference to the original inquiry:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=329227
Oops - forgot, (laugh to self) - oops---eg

4/26/2022 5:04:41 AM

Central Illinois

5.28 ounces of mule team borax on 768 sqft will raise the PPM by 1

4/26/2022 5:25:28 AM

Gerald UK

Watlington, UK

You might also want to note that boron, like nitrogen, is easily leached through the soil as time goes on. You need to keep an eye on it throughout the growing season.

https://agriculture.borax.com/blog/june-2019/minimize-boron-leaching#:~:text=Because%20boron%20is%20a%20neutrally,become%20completely%20depleted%20of%20boron.

"Boron, a water-soluble micronutrient, is especially prone to leaching. Because boron is a neutrally charged ion, it floats in ecosystems until it finds a substance to which it can cling. During periods of heavy rain, boron is flushed out of the soil quickly. If standing water is present in fields for more than 24 hours, the soil can become completely depleted of boron. "

4/26/2022 10:55:25 AM

Kutztown, PA

Gridiot - 453 grams per acre to raise it 1 ppm. Rounding number off, I need to raise .10 acres up 2.3 ppm to get to 3 ppm. So 453 x .10 = 45.3, 45.3 x 2.3 = 104. So for 4664 I need 104 grams. So if my intention is to raise my 4664 plot from . 7 to 3 ppm 104 grams (108) not rounding, should suffice. My only real question hear is will 453 grams raise an acre 1 ppm?

If that's the case my math seems right to me.

4/26/2022 11:20:50 AM

Kutztown, PA

Fact checking Google is always a good thing - that's why I'm asking for some help here.

4/26/2022 11:21:48 AM

Central Illinois

see if my last diary post is correct http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2022&grower=64603&action=L

4/26/2022 12:24:11 PM

Grittyville, WA

Im just confused about whether we are talling about Boron or Borax.

4/26/2022 6:56:59 PM

seedsower

Barrington N.S. Canada

They are both the same thing

4/26/2022 8:43:06 PM

Kutztown, PA

9 pounds of borax per acre (43560 sf) results in the application of 1lb of elemental boron which raises the concentration in soil to a depth of 6 “ by 1 ppm

I want to raise soil concentration from .7 ppm to 3 ppm which is an increase of 2.3 ppm.

My patch is 4640 so it is .10 acres. - .10 x 9.0 = .9 lb
.9 lb x 2.3 = 2.07 lb = 938 grams
Each pumpkin area is .25 of 4640 so 234.5 grams per area

Is this right?

4/27/2022 10:47:43 AM

Central Illinois

using the langley soil estimator, which I do not know the depth they are testing but I think its 6 to 8 inches
Boric acid is 17%
from .7 to 3. on an acre would be 27 pounds
4640 sqft is 2.9 pounds
.7 to 3 for 1160sqft is .73 pounds

Borax would need more because it is 11%

download this https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v_hV0Yx5-LwezBrVF8jP86fBjU3Uw29O/view

learn to use it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8opfz9e3h0&t=1819s&ab_channel=CecilWeston

4/27/2022 11:47:58 AM

cojoe

Colorado

I used baitmans 5.28 oz borax/768 sq ft rate and got 73.3 oz mtborax to raise your patch up to 3ppm. 73.3 oz is 4.58 lbs MTB

4/27/2022 11:55:40 AM