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North Ga

I also wonder about burning all dead vegetative matter that is in the patch, instead of removing it?

11/11/2002 5:25:05 PM

Plow it under pappy

11/11/2002 5:43:30 PM

[email protected]

If you can legally obtain a permit (often required today) & burn safely, then go for it. Many insects, weed seeds, & fungal pathogens will be destroyed & many of the chemical elements will be properly returned to the soil. Much better than throwing the organic matter away. In many ways we have regressed in this country from a simple & effective means of modest sustainable agriculture to one that relies quite heavily on "chemical replacement" of "desirable element recycling". Just MHO though.
Steve

11/11/2002 5:46:09 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Pappy I wish I could burn it but it's illegal like steve said so I have to bag it and let them compost it...doesn't make any sense to me! Then they'll sell it to landscapers as clean compost! Ahhh....Chuck

11/11/2002 9:25:59 PM

Caceres, Spain

If you burn the dry vegetative matter instead of tilling it, you are lowing the organic matter on the soil instead of improving it. Beyond the theory of killing pathogens, practise shows that burnt fields aren't healthier than plowed ones; then, the only reason to do it is laziness, almost you were in such a hurry to plant. Ashes, however, are good fertilizer, they are 50-70% Ca, 7-10% K, 2-3% P, 2-3% Mg, and rise fastly the pH as well.

11/12/2002 12:45:26 AM

Kuna, Id.

Pappy,
I fried mine and a large area around it. My thoughts were to kill bugs, eggs,and weed seeds along with anything else that I think should not be there. I did have to save a few praying mantis(sp).And as Don said I was just to lazy to pull over 6000 sq ft of weeds and I will also burn the extra 1500 sq ft I have added on, before I turn it and add compost.
Ken

11/12/2002 1:02:51 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Don want to burn mine do to a fusaria outbreak bad stuff!

11/12/2002 6:53:08 AM

[email protected]

I don't know that spent pumpkin vines will create enough heat & for long enough to kill fusaria causal pathogens. Maybe a little research in order here. It probably won't make matters worse.

Either way, the loss of OM from the burning of vines/leaves is fairly negligable. We should be adding more OM than that anyway. And the chemical elements are largely recovered if burning is followed by plowing or cover cropping.

Steve

11/12/2002 7:08:39 AM