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[email protected]

Well, I am done with soil prep, added 4 inches of horse manure, and 4 inches of leaf mulch and grass clippings to the patches. I also added 100 pounds of gypsum to each patch, Patch # 1 being 1200 sq ft, and patch # 2 being 1450 sq ft.

I recieved my soil tests back, and I am pretty happy with it for the most part, I just want to toss out my numbers and see what most out there in the pumpkin/squash world would do if this was your soil test.. Stay the course, add anything? Something to ponder for me over the next 6 months..

Patch # 1
PH - 6.7
Phoshate - 1960 (all of these are in lb/acre)
Potash - 744
Magnesium - 1036
Calcium - 7286
P - 856

Echangeable Cations

Acidity - 2.0 (first year with any acidic reading.. must be from the hedgerow.. I plan to lime a little bit by the hedgerow to lower this reading.

K - 0.8
Mg - 2.6
Ca - 13.1
CEC - 18.5

% of saturation

K - 4.3
Mg - 14.1
Ca - 70.8

All in all for patch one, the only concern for me is the acidic reading, which i contribute to taking an extra sampling from close to the hedgerow, which could have led to the higher reading, I will just add some lime to that end of the patch.

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I will put patch # 2 numbers in a follow up to this post..

10/26/2003 7:19:52 PM

[email protected]

Patch # 2
PH - 7.2 (This is down from past 2 years of 7.6 and 7.4 by adding aluminum sulfate each of the past 2 years... I am not adding any this year, as I am getting close to the PH area I want to be at, and the addition of some manure should lower this a small bit to the 7 or 7.1 range by the time I plant next May.)
Phosphate - 824
Potash - 298
Magnesium - 531
Calcium - 9319

P - 360

Exchangeable Cations

Acidity - 0
K - 0.3
Mg - 1.3
Ca - 16.8
CEC - 16.7

% of Saturation of the CEC

K - 1.9
Mg - 8.0
Ca - 90.1

Overall for patch # 2, this is the 3rd year in this patch, and levels are getting better, but not quite there yet. Added exactly the same to this patch as patch # 1, and also have put in a winter rye cover crop on both patches.

What I am basically looking for is something you may see that I dont about what my ratios are, what I should add now, what I should add in the spring, and in my closing part of this diatribe, what is the feeling of most of you on the addition of calcium nitrate in the spring with these levels?

Thanks in advance..

10/26/2003 7:20:04 PM

ontario

Rocky which patch grew your largest.my guess patch number 1............

10/26/2003 7:41:45 PM

[email protected]

good guess.. It is grown in the same spot every year too.. the spot I plant in, farthest from the hedgerow... This year I plan on moving my spot that I plant (closest to the hedgerow) up away from there and closer to the spot where I grow my yearly biggest fruit.. .. It wont be a double planting, but will be about 6 ft from each other.. This will be my attempt to maximize this patch and give the stump of that planting less acidity and more of a chance..

I am looking for some suggestions as to what you would do with patch # 2.... PH is coming around.. levels are the same pretty much 2 years later in the breakdown of saturation percentage...
2001
90.2 CA
7.9 MG
1.9 K

According to Langevins book, Ca should be in the 75-90 percent range, Mg should read 7 - 10 %, and the K should be in the 3-5 range.. If this holds to be true, Iam close, but need a bit more Potassium, which I hope the addition of horse manure this year will bring up that potassium level.. Horse manure is the greatest manure source of potassium..

10/26/2003 9:00:51 PM

Arnprior, Ontario

Rocky

I would have incorparated my goodies - tilled it in good and then do a soil test in the spring. This allows the winter to blend your ammendments and gives you a more accurate handle on where you are at planting time. Also will be more accurate measure of what you lost to winter/spring runoff etc. Glenn

10/27/2003 7:58:40 AM

[email protected]

Sometimes less is more. I agree with Sven and wouldn't do a thing until another soil test is done in early spring to evaluate your potash. If needed, a little 0-0-50 Sulfate of Potash at that time. Maybe.

Steve

10/27/2003 9:41:04 AM