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| Before anyone asks, yes I've searched, and I've read this forum off and on for years. But I still don't know the answer to this question!
I used a home soil test kit this year. Next year, when my new soil/compost mixture has had time to settle, I'll get a lab kit. The compost is composted leaf mould, and the soil is clay. This is for a vegetable garden. My pH is right at 7.0, maybe as high as 7.2. I'd like to lower by .5 it for the short-term. Long term, I doubt high pH will be a problem because our water is acidic and high in iron, and I'll be using leaf mould in my compost. I can top-dress with peat moss or sulfur this year--what do you think I should do? My phosphorus is just a tad below the "high" reading, so it looks good, and my potassium is medium-high, so it seems to be fine. The problem is N, which is the exact color of the "low" reading. Much of this is because the compost is pretty new, and I'm sure that this will improve as the season progresses, but I want to know what I can do now to give my veggies a quick kick until the soil bacteria begins to multiply and the earthworms show up! What do you all think about that? And how much N should I apply? Also, would you still throw more compost on top of a 50/50 mixture (by volume) of soil and compost this year, or would you wait until next year to begin doing that? I've calculated that my yard can produce about 4-7 cubic yards of leaf mould a year. I think that'll be a start for my gardens! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Nitrogen is always low. It's very soluble and runs through with water. Don't sweat it. Use fertilizer as needed. Follow package directions. |
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| Nitrogen availability depends on soil temperature whihc governs the activity of the Soil Food Web, which is why most soil test labs no longer test for N. Most often when someone has a soil test done by a good soil tesing lab the recommendations come back to apply 2 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, which if you think about that is a pretty minimal amount. I have found the soil test kits sold from the garden centers to be very unreliable. In comparing two different manufacturers kits I got widely divergent results. If the water in your home was acidic enough to have any affect on your soil you would not be able to drink it. If you have finished compost available now spread it on your soil now and let the Soil Food Web slowly work it into the soil. |
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| Don't have a SFW yet, as the soil in the beds is freshly mixed compost and topsoil 50/50. I need some N available now, though I hope that compost will be able to keep it up once begins to degrade. Thanks for the advice! It's hard for me to tel how fast tomatoes should be growing, as they've always been quickly eaten to the ground before! |
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