From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

1. Am I gonna be allowed to post in the newbie section next year???? LOL
Now my real question:
We are dry, very dry, so dry in fact that ditches that have been under water on the property since dinosaurs walked around are dried down to puddles......so of course I did a soil test on that shite.....low and behold, it's got more goodies in it then you can shake a stick at. Not surprising with the number of fish, crawdads, and snakes that have shat in it for generations. SO. What do you guys think about me maybe cleaning them out and taking all that and spreading on the future P patch??

9/24/2013 4:28:57 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I would try composting it..if possible

9/24/2013 7:35:37 PM

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

Well, it's dirt Mr. Van Pelt....can I compost dirt? I was thinking of spreading it on as is and letting the mustard and rye have their way with it....would it do any good?

9/25/2013 9:40:18 AM

President - GPC

That would be a great way to test it, perhaps one side with, one side with out... your rye will tell you.

9/25/2013 10:10:25 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I bet if you mix it with something high in nitrogen it breaks it down more.. otherwise it may be an anerobic mess

9/25/2013 1:21:36 PM

Piqua, Ohio

Leisha
I'd dig it out put it in a pile layering urea in it, let it sit over winter and test it again in the spring. I scraped a cow lot at a dairy farm and put it on and got an anerobic mess, fuserium ended my season before I got started.

9/25/2013 8:11:27 PM

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

GASP!!!!!!
Damn I glad I didn't just go putting it on patch!!! YIKES.
School me: What's an anerobic mess? I know the difference between aerobic and anerobic, but wouldn't it break down and become part of the existing dirt by spring? Do you mean it actually smothers the plants roots?
I've been watering what little I had to this year with water from this ditch, the plants really liked it, loaded with K.

9/26/2013 7:55:08 AM

President - GPC

I would like to see the test you had done it it...PleaZe

Garythewizard@gmail.com

9/26/2013 10:07:29 AM

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

Nothing fancy round here this year Wiz, just one of those test kits you can get at garden centers. Next year I will be paying the county to test all 3 patches before I plant

9/26/2013 1:53:11 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I bet if you test with one of those kits, and send the same sample in to have a professional soil sample complete you will see how in accurate they are.

9/26/2013 4:01:22 PM

Winston Salem, NC

LB you can go to your county extension office and get a soil test box for testing at NCstate for the cost of postage. They dont provide PPM readouts but give you low-med-high scales with an index and available index value and you can get the raw meq data. You can also get a local soil advisor from the extension office to help you understand the results better. The Cadillac is Western Labs but this is a good option on the cheap.

9/26/2013 4:16:49 PM

Farming- a bunch of catastrophies that result in a lifestyle

Pumpking very kindly sent me Western Labs forms, and I am so doing a real test next year. This year was the first and lots has been learned!! No doubt Mr. Van Pelt- I bet it's like comparing apples and oranges, however that's what I had to work with this year.
Sparcmat- I will get ahold of curritucks' AG agent, never hurts to double up!!!

9/27/2013 9:16:12 AM