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Wed, May 30, 12 at 16:27
| Recently, I was reading about these soil moisture crystal that's suppose to hold water. The article indicate that the crystal eventually break down and disappear into the soil.
This makes me wonder about compost. When I started gardening like 2 years ago. I read that you are suppose to amend the soil with compost. For raised bed, the guy at the nursery suggested that I just mix 50% compost with 50% top soil. Now I am realizing that compost probably breaks down, too. So that 50% of compost may be breaking down, causing stuff to sink. Am I suppose to keep adding compost on top every year to fight this? Paul |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by digitaldan1 z7 NJ (My Page) on Wed, May 30, 12 at 16:56
| It's usually recommended that you replace the nutrients your plants have consumed. Compost is a great way of doing that. |
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| Yes you are correct, compost will be consumed over time and will result in a sinking bed. 50/50 compost/soil is a bit much IMO, I usually tell people 2 inches of my 'post worked into the top 6-8 inches of soil. This is predicated on their soil not being completely dead to begin with (something I've never seen around here). If their soil is already in pretty decent shape, an inch will usually do. Lloyd P.S. This isn't a scientific thing, it's just a rough guide. |
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- Posted by mackel_in_dfw (My Page) on Wed, May 30, 12 at 17:43
| People burn through their compost rapidly with nitrogen applications- that is the norm, and seems pretty counterintuitive when you look at how nature works... the compost on a forest floor is magical and never gets "fertilized"...what most people practice is a quasi form of gardening, turning the world of organic gardening on it's head, negating several of it's key benefits, with high fertilization. We have used no ferts of any sort on tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, and blackberry this year, except for compost ...it's useful to experiment, see how long a plant can go without watering, etc... Looks pretty green to me and not as thirsty (whenever we water, we do so very deeply) Cain't say nothing about the yield later on this year, but I've only watered three times in two months...heat is starting to pick up in Texas, so all bets are off but I think they are already drought tolerant, the roots have gone down deep (looking for nitrogen?). Mackel |
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| In 44 years of gardening & 35 years of organic gardening, I have found little magical about fire ants, sink bugs, squash bugs,Japanese Beetles,weeds,drought & floods. I have never tried to garden tomatoes,peppers,watermelon in a forest. I use raised beds,even rows with my own compost for years now. I tried one bag of Organic Fertilizer & it seem okay, but nothing great. So I am back to using home made compost, it cheaper & everything grows in it. I was watering twice a week for years, but this year I am going to water more often to see what, if any change. I till in new compost after each season plants are removed & I have done this for over 5 years & my soil is richer then the season before. |
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| Optimal levels of organic matter in soil are around 6 to 8 percent and adding organic matter to soil is a continuous process since the Soil Food Web digests that organic matter and converts the nutrients the waste material that is that organic matter into nutrients plants can utilize, with the help of other members, known as mycorrhizal fungi, help those nutrients reach the plants. Soils with adequate levels of organic matter should hold sufficent amounts of moisture that watering, properly, twice a week would be too much. Many people have used that 1 inch of water per week thing as a guide for the vegetable garden and that may well be not enough, depending on the level of OM in the soil, whether the soil is well mulched, and the ambient air temperature and the wind both of which influence how fast a plant transpires moisture. Since plants cannot uptake, or move, nutrients in the absence of moisture they need however much they need, and the gardener needs to look at what is happening in the garden to know. |
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| According to soil test, I have about 7.4% organic matter. I have never fertilized the soil using chemical fertilizer, but have tried to use some organic amendment like alfalfa meal. I try to add compost every spring. Paul |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Thu, May 31, 12 at 11:40
| Those moisture crystals belong only in their natural habitat. |
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