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Nova Scotia

since i'm still new at this game i was woundering if a few of you heavey hitters could give me your version of the perfect soil content? as well does anyone know a place in florida for soil testing?

10/14/2003 9:45:02 AM

Oz

mr t . try florida ag department. i guess dade county.

10/14/2003 9:57:51 AM

Montoursville, PA

Mr. T.....Perfect soil content is revelant. What may do best in your back yard may be only average in mine. If we were to follow nature the diversity of rotting flora, fauna and products, of animal life, in your back yard is perfect for your soil. That would include meats and bones
....man is the one who screws it up!

In an attempt to rebuild it to something better than average or something profitable we have two choices. One is to feed it the naturals and build a soil diversity and quality that is expected and maintained year to year. The other is to use synthetics that treat symptoms, cause flushes of growth and always to some degree reduced soil quality and run off to the water level of the area where placed. No matter what our education is we can not change or make these two facts any different.

....You got your great first year results because you were at the peak of your garden's condition and had not bombed it into the shape many of us have to work with to get back to where you are in general excellent condition.

....Most of us have to add the excessive amounts of manures, kelps, teas and fish oils because that is the only way back and because we have found no way to control SVB without at least one harsh chemical not to mention two insecticides and a brevy of fungicides. When it gets to bad we think of sterilization. Unfortunately we have no synthetic products that build the soil, none that feed the soil, and none that do anything other than add elements that are not a natural part of the soil. Some synthetics are claiming "now with organic contents". Many organics are not out there for your consideration with "no synthetic additives".

The bottom line is if you have excellent soil it is relatively easy to maintain. If you need to build the movement back to excellent organic ballances you may need to be gradual backing into less harsh treatment of your soil medium. Sometimes it can be difficult but it can be ackomplished wit

10/15/2003 10:18:16 AM

Nova Scotia

thank you docgipe for you true information on soil but i'm interstest more in micronutrients that may be lacking in my soil as well as the %'s the major nutrients should be at, which i will compansate mostly with (90%) organic fertilizers. as far as soil life i'm adding that to my soil 2 a week.

10/15/2003 12:36:48 PM

Montoursville, PA

I do not know what you have in your country but this you have for sure. One one the best biologicial combinations is fish and molasses. One of the best micro nutrients lines is from seaweed or kelp. Diatomaceouts Earth is loaded. It contains aluminum, sodium, iron, and lots of trace minerals, some that are rare. Molasses contains sulphur, potash and many trace minerals. The numerical value of molasses is aprox. 1-0-1. It is a carbon source and feeds beneficial microbes. Greensand is likewise a great ammendment as is any Lava Sand. The NPK of the chemical world is not so important to someone trying to observe organic or healthy patch directions. The natural food particles you place in the soil do not generally leach out. The big numbers of the synthetic fertilizers are there largely because they leach out and you need larger amounts to have it stick around awhile. Meanwhile it will literallyy ruin your natural biological side in due time or prevent your natural ballance to be achieved. Pa.'s four largest fruit were grown this year with this belief and practice. Very little if any synthetic fertilizers were used.

Somwhere I read that if you add the numbers of a natural fertilizer and your three numbers total less than fifteen you may have a very good one. About twenty pounds of natural
or organic fertilizer need only to have very lite follow up if any. Foliar feeding in combination provides more than your plants can use and these amounts will not leach out unless a flood washes out your soil.

Manures, compost, midnight soil commercially prepaired and carefully selected organic products when ammended with cover crops and leaves, in the fall, is geting up very close to excellent. A few years of working at it will have you far better than you realize you can be.

10/15/2003 2:05:17 PM

Stouffville

even though i did chemical engineering in school, i take a rather simplistic, old-school approach to creating soil... i just add manure and leaves to what i currently have...but i would really like to know what the 'ideal' soil composition is, at least from the personal experiences of those who have actually investigated it...drew!!!

10/15/2003 5:52:31 PM

Montoursville, PA

I'm not sure ideal average can be achieved in answer to anyone else. The humus percentage of heavy manure, leaves, cover crop and compost users reporting on this site falls between 8% and 20%. A few report higher percentages. We really have no way to trace, record and report much better than this. There are outstanding growers having great success all through those ranges of humus content. Grower and soil consistancy is most hard to equate.

10/15/2003 10:14:00 PM

Deer Park WA

Mr. T, while I do not claim to be a heavy hitter, I have to in part agree with docgipe. The raw dirt I started with at our new farm was devoid of organic matterial, if you plowed it the wind would blow huge dust clouds across its breadth. I hauled in load after load of manure/straw to the patch and let it sit for awhile before tilling and planting. By no means did I consider this (nor my plants) to be perfect soil, so I had to resort to fertilizers both natural and chemical to make up the difference. I see the perfect soil as one that no chemicals have to be added (like Jack and Sherry LaRue's patches)untill then add all the leaves, manure, compost, and cover crops that you can. After several years of this you will require less and less chemical additions, and will in my opionion achieve the perfect soil. PS tilling is hard on microzial (sp) blooms as well as other beneficials.

10/15/2003 10:52:04 PM

Key West, FL

Good point Gerry, I'm no heavy hitter either but I think tilling too much is something a lot of people do. If you till a lot you should think about adding a microzial fertilizer with your last till in the spring. I think I will do this this year.

10/15/2003 11:41:30 PM