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| Howdy. Bought a new place last fall. The soil test we sent away for showed low boron, and everything else was marginally OK in my very clay soil. Since the weeds were thick as theives and waist high (standard for all areas after CA's wet season), I immediately mulched like crazy with free wood chips. Very few weeds this year, thank goodness, though am wondering about that missing boron.
Will the wood chips remedy the boron lack, or do I need to add something else? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| What did the lab report suggest you do? If no comment made, call & ask. Have the report at hand to tell them exact client name, date & result. |
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- Posted by plot_thickens (My Page) on Sat, May 21, 11 at 21:54
| Summary of the report: Sample #1 Orchard S.W. Corner 8-20" The soil is slightly acidic with a pH of 6.64. The salinity is low at 0.64 millimho/cm. Nitrogen is moderate. Phosphorus and potassium are modest. The micronutrients are sufficient except for boron, which is low. Sodium is low. Sulfur is low. Aluminum is elevated. Sample #2 Garden 8-12" The soil is acidic with a pH of 5.97. The salinity is low at 0.78 millimho/cm. Nitrogen is well supplied. Phosphorus is moderate. Potassium is modest. The micronutrients are well supplied except for boron, which is low. The area does not appear to be a leach field. If this were a former leach field the fertility of the soil would be high, the salts would be much higher as would the boron. Recommendations for Both Areas General soil preparation. Broadcast the following materials uniformly. Rates are expressed per cubic yard: Potassium sulfate (0-0-50) � 1/4 pound The soil amendment needs to be based on leafy greens, compost or other similar in order to provide boron. For site maintenance, 12-12-12 at 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet about once per quarter. Monitor the site with periodic soil testing. |
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| Add compost to that soil. |
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| Only add boron if the soil needs it by good documentation. Boron is very necessary in the soil chemistry, but too much is bad until it leaches away. In arid conditions it can be especially bad to be in excess. |
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- Posted by coach_grumpy 6a ID (My Page) on Sun, May 22, 11 at 12:15
| The answer is in your report.. "good quality soil amendment - about 15% by volume depending on the material The soil amendment needs to be based on leafy greens, compost or other similar in order to provide boron. " Like the others said... add compost |
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- Posted by plot_thickens (My Page) on Sun, May 22, 11 at 18:52
| Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm still wondering -- since the wood chips are breaking down into what is, essentially, an amendment -- will the wood chips do it? Or is something with that much lignin just not going to break down this decade? |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Mon, May 23, 11 at 2:26
| Not sure I understand that last post but wood chips will break down when kept moist enough. Otherwise we'd all be standing on miles of timber. It gets a fungus that decomposes it. If your garden did not already have it, it will develop it. |
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- Posted by plot_thickens (My Page) on Mon, May 23, 11 at 8:04
| Yes, I understand that fungal primary decomposers (usually oyster in this area) will populate and break it down. Mycelium are already matted through the chips and bacterial activity in the thick places is reaching 110 degrees. I'm asking if the high lignin in wood chips will break down in time to add boron to the soil, and if wood chips have any boron to add. You know, like hugelkulture? Anyone have any experience with this? |
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- Posted by tsugajunkie z5 SE WI (My Page) on Mon, May 23, 11 at 18:13
| "...I'm asking if the high lignin in wood chips will break down in time to add boron to the soil..." No, they won't. That is why the report said... "...The soil amendment needs to be based on leafy greens, compost or other similar in order to provide boron..." Compost is best. tj |
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| Compost is best. A nice leaf compost! :-) Click on "download PDF" for a decent report on Plant Nutrients in Municipal Leaves Lloyd |
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| Borax is a source of B. My consultant recommends 30 lbs an acre per year, in 3 apps. 3 ppm is the desired level, according to his paradigm. All tests I have seen have been well below 1 ppm. "solubor" is another source, which is applied at about 1/10 the above rate. |
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| There's a fine line between optimal and toxic with boron. If you don't know what you're doing and you don't know EXACTLY how much to add, don't go buy a box of borax and spread some of it on your lawn. And don't use the guideline that a consultant gave to somebody else based on their soil test. It's your lawn and if you want to add boron to it without understanding how much to add, feel free, but if you find that you've got a patch that won't grow anything for a few years, you'll know why. |
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| Another thing to consider is the fact that many of the water sources (municipal and well) all up and down the west coast contain plenty of boron to satisfy plant nutritional requirements for that element. If you've got more than 0.3 ppm boron in the irrigation water, you won't have to add any. Think "liquid feed program". This is especially true in a heavy soil. 3 ppm is the desired level, according to his paradigm. All tests I have seen have been well below 1 ppm. Make sure you know what analytical method you're dealing with when using that number. 3 ppm extractable boron via Meilich 3, DTPA or other extraction may be fine. 3 ppm soluble boron via saturation extract (which is a very common way to measure boron) would burn a broad range of stuff. In saturation extract, boron should be less than 1 ppm for most stuff and less than 0.8 for sensitive plants. About 0.12 ppm in the soil would be sufficient for most plants. |
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