Re: soil test
George,
Good questions!. This would depend on whether you are just starting out with
a new patch and virgin soil or if you are working an existing patch. My
personal preference is that if you are starting a new patch in virgin
ground, test at least three times. Once prior to doing any amending. Find
out what you have and what needs to be added. Add amendments in the fall and
test again in the spring. April is typically when I do this when soil temps
have warmed some. You will get a better and more accurate report if your
soil temps have come up a little and microbial action is at work. Amend as
directed by your test results if needed. I like to take a third test around
the first week of July, just prior to heavy fruit growth. I do this because
as much as 1/3 of all micronutrients can be used up by the plant during the
vegetative growth stage. If anything is running low I can add a little more
of it in granular form using a whirly bird spreader under the leaf canopy.
If you have a established patch and have tested before you should have a
pretty good idea of what is going on with your soil. I would test once in
the spring and amend accordingly. Now if you are soil anal like myself you
can take another test in July to tweak your soil!
Chris
=======================================================================
Three questions for Chris Andersen.
Chris,
How many times per year do you test
your soil ?
What time of year and at what intervals
do you do the tests ?
What lab do you use ?
Thanks,
George
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