RE: soil make-up
- To: "'pumpkins@mallorn.com'" <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
- Subject: RE: soil make-up
- From: "* J* <M*@doaks.org>
- Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 11:18:41 -0500
I think what I am getting at here is soil consistency. I have had a test
and understand where I should be in terms of N P K and PH. I believe the
testers described my soil as "silt loam". I think the issues here are
oxygen, water retention, virus control, root growth in terms of actual
physical resistance from the soil, and other mysteries. I would guess
your e-mail raised a few hairs on the pumpkin growers backs. Some test
more then once a year. They don't miss a thing, do you guys?
>----------
>From: Michael Cohill[SMTP:mcohill@neo.lrun.com]
>Sent: Thursday, January 29, 1998 12:50 PM
>To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
>Subject: Re: soil make-up
>
>Dear Joe:
> No secrets to good soil make-up. Contact your local agricultural
>extension office and ask them to send you a soil test kit. Follow their
>easy to understand directions and mail off a sample of your garden soil.
>They will send you back the test results which will (should) tell you in
>plain English what you need to bring your soil fertility to 100%. Follow
>their directions and you will start the season in the top ten percent of
>all giant pumpkin growers.
> Do it now before they get real busy. Sending a sample in March and April
>- their busiest months - could take many weeks, to many weeks. Soil Test
>Kits are different for every state but average between $10 and $15. The
>best money spent in the garden all year.
> As I've rarely seen a question or comment on this list concerning a
>grower's test results, my quess is few ever bother. Instead they trust
>their instincts, or get good (free) advice as to what they should add to
>their soil, etc. from someone 2,000 miles away, who has never seen their
>patch. If everyone on this list did a tests, the lines would be jammed
>with mail describing their top notch soil. If growers competed in the soil
>test, like they do at the end of the season, the over all cumulative weight
>of pumpkins on this list would quadruple.
> Do not add line to your patch unless the test results say you should.
>Screw up your ph and no matter how much work and money you spend on
>chemical fertilizers, etc. the soil will never be able to release all its
>nutrients, or make them available to your plants. Never add line to
>compost. The ph of compost will be neutral - unless you compost on top of
>high alkaline soils, etc. like some places out west, ie; NV, CA, etc. Lime
>your garden if called for by your test, then add your compost to the
>garden.
> As to your question about growing directly out of compost - that depends
>entirely on the quality of your compost and if it is completely finished
>composting. If you have doubts about the compost's quality - till it in as
>soon as the soil can be worked.
>Michael in Akron
>mcohill@neo.lrun.com
>
>
>
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