Re: Soil mineral replenishment?
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Soil mineral replenishment?
- From: S*@aol.com
- Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 05:51:58 EST
In a message dated 99-02-10 23:35:45 EST, you write:
> >Hi Steve....Maybe you should back off a bit...We are all here to help each
> other not condemn their growing practices. Each one of us will have to live
> with the environment we create but as long as it doesn't affect you, then
> there shouldn't be any problem. We understand your message about growing
Well, I was trying to attack anyone, just spirited debate. Hey, why not, it's
the off-season!
He was being mean to me anyway! Telling me he has been scratching himself
longer than I have been on the earth, or something like that....
ANYWAY, I was just debating and making points.
And it DOES affect me, and EVERYONE, in the long run!
> organically but since compost is a slow release medium and being that our
> growing season is short along with the fact that a giant pumpkin actually is
> a factory needing a constant supply of raw materials, then we have to supply
> what is missing at the appropriate time. It would be nice to lay back and
let
> nature do the job for us but we'll never reach our goals with that attitude.
Oh reeeeeeeeeeeeally? (That was my Jim Carrey impression, leave me alone).
Actually don't short change nature. We can HELP nature do it's, no need to try
to replace nature with chemicals.
Fish emulsion, seaweed and other material can contain just as much water
soluable N-P-K as Miracale Grow, and several thousand other beneficial
nutrients, hormones, etc. all in correct balance. I know it would be expensive
doing it totally organically. I use Miracle Grow and some lighter chemicals
(Rotenone and sulpher, etc.), as a last resort, and feel bad about it too,
because I know it is really messing stuff up in the long run, but it is a
quick fix for one season. Some World Class AG growers don't use ANY synthetic
chemicals at all. If you think about it, chemicals are usually used to fix
problems cause by other chemicals! It seems so ridiculous.
> Constant soil tests and tissue samples are good tools to monitor what is
> missing thoughout the growing season and if we can supply it organically and
> if it will react immediately , then great but most compost will only start
> producing results when we are ready for weighoff day. Another problem with
> natural i!
Not true, compost contains immediately available nutrients, as well as slow
release. Remember, as one other wise person said on here before, SLOW and
STEADY wins the race.
> ngredients is that they usually supply not only the chemical that we need
> but others as well. Bonemeal is great for root development but also supplies
> nitrogen and lots of calcium which we may not need from our test results,
There are other natural sources of phosphorus, and like I said, good compost
will have the right amount already in it. It all balances itself out, unlike
synthetic chemicals.
> whereas a simple application of phosphorus will do the trick nicely and
bring
> our plant back on track. By reading the labels on fertilizers we see that
As a QUICK FIX, yeah.
> there are different fertilizers needed for different plants. The make up of
> compost is about 7-11-7 so you see this is not completely suitable for giant
> pumpkins unless tons of compost were available and a long growing season to
> allow it to break down. By then the pumpkin would have reached maturity and
> these chemicals would not have done it any good.
Compost can vary in it's NPK, and compost a long with natural fertilizers will
definitely be enough. And compost is already broken down, hence the name
:"compost"! It is already composted.
> I keep my organic level very high (around 30%) and in a dry summer this
> is great but since compost holds moisture, during a wet season the roots
> are starving for oxygen due to this water holding capabilty. Although
> I'm fortunate not to have to use pesticides or fungicides, I still must
> apply chemicals to help out my pumpkins when they ask for it.........Ken
Well good compost not only holds water, but improves drainage. It should never
get "wet". If it does, it isn't the compost that is your problem, it is
another factor of drainage. Compost, itself, can never hold "too much" water
for most plants.
CLAY can get waterlogged though, and also block drainage.
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