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Going Green

I took two samples from each of my two gardens and found that there are variations from the sample taken on the north edge 7 feet in and those on the south edge 7 feet in. The first garden is 60 X 90 and is my main garden for growing AG's!



results are:

North Analysis South

5.4 Organic Matter 6.2
51 Nitrate-N PPM 52
81 Phosophorous P1 PPM 98
106 Phosphorous P2 PPM 108
998 Potassium PPM 933
461 Magnesium PPM 444
2876 Calcium PPM 2234
415 Sulphur PPM 35
10.7 Zinc PPM 11.8
14 Manganese PPM 9
127 Iron PPM 106
1.5 Copper PPM 1.5
0.8 Boron PPM 0.9
114 Sodium PPM 75
0.6 Soluble salts MMHOS/CM 0.6
M Excess Lime L
6.7 PH 6.9

K% 12 PERCENT SATURATION 13.6
MG% 18 21.0
CA% 67.7 63.5
NA% 2.3 1.9

21.3% CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY 17.6%


ANY RECOMMENDATIONS

4/9/2009 6:01:51 PM

Going Green

When I typed the thing out it had really neat spacing which it eliminated when posted. the first numbers are for the North edge of garden and the middle tells you what it is an analsis of like Organic Matter and the second set of numbers same line is the south edge of garden!

4/9/2009 6:24:01 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

m3, did you do a soil analysis, last fall? and if so, did you follow the recomendations? If yes twice, what did you add? Just curious, hoping to learn!! Peace, Wayne

4/9/2009 7:13:52 PM

Going Green

I took a soil sample in the spring and was told I could grow anything on that soil. Had a terrible year with 43 inches rain during the growing season compared to 30 year avgerage of 23 inches during the growing season!

I did not take a fall sample as I felt that organic matter was what I needed. I added 10 bags of gypsum and 120 pounds of Dolmetic lime and 14 tom of well composted manure to my 5400 square feet! I plowed it and planted winter wheat. My neighbor contacted me two weeks later and said he had a subsoiler would I like him to run over my patch. He subsoiled me 24 inches deep by measurement. I allowed nothing to walk on garden until soil sample taken last week! With plastic surgical gloves and new shovel the soil was dug in 6 locations and then a slice was taken from the side of the hole. With a sterile insturment sample was stirred and then put into sample bags provided. At no time was soil allowed to come into contact with skin or other surfaces than those aforementioned. Not sure as to whether that was supposed to impress me into buying lots of his chemicals and fertilizers are whether any surfaces or hand contact would have corrupted the sample results that much!

4/9/2009 11:32:26 PM

Colorado Springs, CO

Never ceases to amaze me how much "chemistry" some will enage in to create a super-soil. The 3 elements that show stark differences for the north and south sample locations are the Ca, S and the Na.

The gypsum is a hydrous calcium sulfate (H2O-CaSO4).
The dolomitic lime is calcium-magnesium carbonate (CaMgCO3).

You likely "dumped" too much gypsum (Ca and S) in the locality of the "north" sample, perhaps. The Na discrepancy might be related to the manure, but I don't know for sure.

When you say "composted" manure....what exactly can you say about its composting process ? Was it a static pile that sat there for X-number of weeks or months ? Did you actively turn it over, water it down, measure core temperatures, enhance its breakdown by supporting microbial activity with other supplements added, like dry molasses, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, blood meal, corn meal, adding earthworms....and/or anything else besides the manure itself ? "Well-composted" means...for how long ?

...."impress me into buying loys of his chemicals" ?

I doubt that your hygienic approach to sample gathering and handling had much effect of the results.

4/11/2009 11:04:24 PM

Going Green

Tomato Man...Thank you for your comments. In answer to your question...what I mean by composted manure is that I have four piles each seperate from the other. The reason I have 4 is that it is easier to turn a smaller 2 ton pile than it is a 8 ton pile in my opinion! Every two tons is made of of greens and browns and scrapings around the feed bunks of dairy cattle. Keeping the pile moist I turn it twice a moth and if I notice that I do not have much green or brown left I may add some. After a year (24 turnings) I consider it to be composted after two years and 48 turnings I consider it to be wll composted! I do not use a soil probe to measure heat but I observe the steam rising from the pile when turned, the temp as my hand plunges into the side of the pile as far as possible and also the number of worms exposed when I shovel some injto a bucket to spread around. I hope that answers your question as to what I mean when I say composted or well composted! I pulled a surdock from the edge of a two year pile and removed 7 worms that were 3-4 inches long and half the thickness of a pencil. In a bucket (estimate 400 pounds) of well composted I count between 80 and 250 worms of all sizes included red worms, ordinary earthworms and nightcrawlers. I never have far to go for bait!

4/12/2009 5:04:05 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

m3, Can I send an email w/ a schedule for when I am available to come up and go fishin? Obviously, you are on top of stuff, way more than I am....but like the idea of "bait"!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

4/13/2009 9:40:05 PM

Going Green

Anytime Wayne. Hiredman caught a 4 pound bass and a 3/4 pound Crappie in one of the farm pounds the other day!

4/14/2009 4:49:16 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

SWEET!!!! Peace, Wayne

4/15/2009 10:59:45 PM