Re: Composted manure versus composted leaves and ideal organic levels.

as usual vince a very well written informative post deb
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "vince" <anaid_tecuod@yahoo.com>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2003 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: Composted manure versus composted leaves and ideal organic
levels.


> I'll say a few words about soil levels of Organic Matter (OM).
>  I believe it is perhaps the most important single ingrediant a
> grower can add to thier soil.
>
> OM contains most the nutrients needed for plant growth, in just
> the right proportions that plants require.  It also contains
> lots of Carbon which is the basic food source for the soil's
> microlife.  As the beneficial microbes proliferate they "mine"
> the soil for the nutriants and minerals plants need and release
> them in forms the plant can absorb.  The microbes are hard at
> work all summer providing slow release of plant foods as long
> as the OM levels of the soil are high enough.
>
> The microbes secrete gum-like substances which help form soil
> aggregates, thus improving soil structure and the penetration
> of air, water and roots.
>
> So generally, increasing Organic Matter content will improve
> water penetration, water-holding capacity, soil structure,
> microbial biomass, nutrient availablility, resistance to
> compaction and more.
>
> Organic Matter decomposes, under proper conditions, into Humas,
> Humus is a soil-like material with high levels of organic acids
> (Humic, Carbonic and Fulvic Acids), and a very high Cation
> Exchange Capacity (or the ability of retain Calicium,
> Potassium, and other cations as plant nutrients.)
>
> Soils which are below 2% Organic Matter are for all purposes,
> "dead" in that they do contain enough carbon to feed the micro
> life which provides fertility to plants.  Soils of between 5%
> and 10% OM are adequate to provide for the needs of most
> plants.
>
> I like to keep my patches between 15% and 20% OM.  But, I think
> it is important to build OM over a period of years as adding
> too much at one time can cause a variety of problems.
>
> If your soil is low in Organic Matter, I recommend you use
> compost that has been fully composted to build a base of OM.
> You can add 5 to 10 yards of this per 1,000 square feet and
> jump your OM to a reasonable level without fear of creating
> other problems.  I would use manures more sparingly, and only
> in the fall. Composted and aged manures are best. Other good
> sources of OM are leaves, grass clippings and cover crops.  You
> must add OM every year because it breaks down and goes away
> fairly quickly.....
>
> vince
>
> --- Lubadub@aol.com wrote:
>
> > If you are putting composted manure in your garden, I would
> > go with the best
> > you can find. The more nutrients the better. The question of
> > exactly how much
> > organic matter should be in your garden is not really clear
> > in my mind. I see
> > people putting tons of manure in their garden each year and I
> > see others just
> > planting a cover crop and then tilling it in. They both get
> > respectable
> > pumpkins. Too much organic matter can be a problem as can too
> > little. In the woods
> > of PA there is 5 to 6% organic matter in the soil. Farther to
> > the south there
> > is 3% as it breaks down more rapidly in the higher
> > temperatures. The benifits
> > of manure and compost are well known. The question is, "How
> > much organic matter
> > is enough?" I rememeber hearing from one grower that he put
> > loads and loads
> > of manure into his garden. Nothing grew. When he took the
> > temperature of his
> > garden he realized that he had created a large compost pile
> > as the temperature
> > was around 110 degrees. I would be interested in hearing what
> > people out there
> > believe is an upper limit for organic matter and whether it
> > depends on where
> > it comes from...compost pile using leaves, using cow manure
> > etc.
> >
> > Marv in Altoona
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search
> http://shopping.yahoo.com
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index