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France

since two years i used a new patch, where i can't get anything, my plant always turn yellow, still growing but really slowly and made only 200lbs pumpkin.
i finally made a soil test, result on calcium is 10000ppm(10g per kg), i think that is my main problem.
how can i decrease this calcium in soil??

11/11/2010 6:52:13 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

The ppm of calcium alone may not be the problem, although it dose seem extremely high, we need to first see what the entire soil test report looks like.

11/11/2010 3:31:54 PM

France

8.1        ph
546 ppm    P2O5    phosphate
398 ppm    K2O    potassium
194 ppm    MgO    magnesium
1.86    %    organic mat
9778ppm    CaO    chaux

11/12/2010 12:34:33 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

No blossum end rot there....I'm interested in your response too Tom...I was always told to super load the garden but to maintain the balanced proportions in check. Never saw a calcium so out of wack with the rest of the soil. I guess if you used gypsum to help leach out some things that could cause this...but I suspect more likely hit some heavy lime sitting on top of the soil sample because the PH is high. I would take another sample just to be sure. Or super load the others!

11/12/2010 9:47:04 AM

churchville, ny

What is the underlying rock structure below this soil? If there is a great deal of limestone or shell material (calcium carbonate CaCO3) it would certainly account for the high calcium content. Your pH is high and organic matter is low - some cow manure would help.

11/12/2010 10:52:38 AM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

You can grow in low OM, but your OM is too low. The pH is too high. Your base saturations are way out of wack, mostly because of the super high Ca. What is the reason your Ca is so high?

11/12/2010 6:14:06 PM

France

It has been only 2 years that I life here, my garden is at feet of the hill, under ground is made by marl limestone, I do not know the deep of vegetale ground.
Thank you for the information, I am going to add many of organic matiere and acidifying fertilizers, in time I would see what that gives onto the calcium.

11/12/2010 11:53:11 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

David, in order to accomodate the high calcium, you may have to raise your other levels to be balanced. I know a very very successful grower that has had very high levels, but in balance for years and has done extremely well.
Email us if you need any help tprivitera@optonline.net
Tom

11/13/2010 11:06:28 AM

churchville, ny

OK, David so the reason for the high calcium is the marl (shell) limestone. The rain is washing the decomposing marl into the soil at the base of the hill. If you have an acidic rain it should be somewhat neutralizing the limestone and turning it into calcium chloride.

Other organic material you could add which would also decrease your pH would be peat moss, cottonseed meal, pine needles and oak, beech leaves or sawdust.

Best of luck

11/16/2010 12:03:41 AM