Re: Patch info, Part 2
Interesting information. A friend of mine in Sioux Falls spent a year or
two trying to push his nitrogen levels high on the theory that it should
delay maturation of the fruit and allow a longer growth phase. He never had
much luck with that technique, but maybe he just didn't have the right
genetics to start with.
--Chris Wilbers
Springfield, MO
----
Larry Checkon wrote:
> In case you missed part 1 go to the Oct. archives.
> We now have our soil test results which were done at Penn State and
> IAS Laboratories in Phoenix. Both sides of the patch were tested because
> of the different soil types and will be refered to as 1131 and 1190.
> Probably the strangest thing is the pH level which is 7.1 on the 1131
> side and 6.0 on the 1190 side. K level is medium on the 1131 side but
> everything else is in the high to very high range including N, P, Ca,
> Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and S. Boron was the only low level.
>
> I talked to Dr. Paul Eberhart at IAS today about the results. He feels
> that the high to very high nitrogen level probably caused the seeds to
> mature very slowly and also led to the 1190 splitting. He also
> recommended adding some lime to the pH 6.0 area but didn't seem too
> concerned about the level. He also felt that the organic material
> released an adequate amount of Boron through the season.
>
> It would appear that anyone who is overly concerned about pH shouldn't
> be and although 6.5 to 6.8 is considered the optimum range, if your soil
> is a little high or low don't sweat it and don't do anything drastic to
> change it quickly. Nutrient levels may need to be higher for AG's
> than other crops but care must be taken to not let anything get too
> excessive.
>
> I can tell you that the soil in the patch was in very poor condition
> when we started it 2 years ago and it was more luck than anything
> to get it in good enough shape to grow 2 1100+ pumpkins with 2 different
> seeds in the same year. Probably the most important factors were a good
> water supply, plenty of fresh cow manure and the Ironite which we used
> to get the nutrient levels up to where they are.
>
> The only thing that really went wrong ( other than the Letterman Show)
> was the lack of mature seed, but maybe this is something that must be
> sacrificed in order to gain weight. Possibly we will learn more about
> this in the coming years.
>
> Larry
>
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