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Deer Park, WI

Here's an interesting little factoid I picked up in a soil fertility class:

Manganese (Mn) is a micronutrient that can show up deficient in our soils. A commonly available and frequently recommended form is Manganese Sulfate (MnSO4) applied as a granular/powder to the soil.

Interestingly, MnSO4 is rapidly "oxidized" to an unavailable precipitate when added to the soil. This "unavailable precipitate" is a fancy way of saying you just wasted your money trying to build soil Mn levels.

Buyers beware. If your soil test shows an Mn deficiency, companies and even some "soil experts" will try to sell you on granular/powder Manganese sulfate. There may be some value in "banding" manganese (essentially putting some in the planting hole), but as a micronutrient, localized toxicity can happen really easily.

Scientifically, the most effective way to supply Mn to a deficient system is foliar application. MnSO4 (liquid) or "Manganese Chelate" are two forms that are readily taken up via foliar application.

The plant uses Mn most significantly at germination and at fruiting. Severe deficiencies may warrant multiple foliar applications.

Im curious to hear what others may have to say about this issue. And if you are working with an agronomist/soil test lab, ask them to tell you the real deal about resolving Manganese deficiency.

3/27/2013 9:18:55 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Thanks for that Joze.

3/27/2013 9:50:10 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

I'm curious too Joze, as I am considering manganese sulfate as a deficiency remedy and have even located a source.

3/27/2013 10:50:52 PM

Deerfield, Michigan

My Maganese was 3 ppm on my fall soil test. Need to figure out the best way to raise it. Foliar application seems to be the best but the question is which product to use.

3/28/2013 12:24:28 AM

Willamette Valley, Oregon

I concur with Joze. If I had a Mn deficiency in the patch I'd foliar spray Manganese Sulfate at 1 to 2 oz per 1000 sq ft (1/4 to 1/2 oz Mn per 1000 sq ft) a couple times a year. Chelates are fine too for foliar spray but they probably cost more.

It's not impossible to fix Mn availability in the soil depending on your pH and mineralogy, but it can be complicated. Foliar spraying is straightforward and it works.

3/28/2013 1:36:31 AM

Nottingham, UK

Thanks for the information

3/28/2013 4:40:37 AM

Deer Park, WI

Growth Products, the same company that manufactures "Companion" biological fungicide, also makes a trustworthy Manganese Chelate product for foliar application:

http://www.growthproducts.com/pdfs/Turf_Manganese_Chelate.pdf

3/28/2013 7:44:46 AM

Colorado

So joe,should I apply my mag sulfate(already bought it) or not?Its a very pretty light shade of pink.

3/28/2013 5:15:21 PM

Colorado

thats mn sulfate-sorry

3/28/2013 5:17:13 PM

Deer Park, WI

I continue to gather information on this subject, as it deserves to be accurately vetted.

Adding granular/powder MnSO4 is not going to harm the soil if you have a documented deficiency. Theres just little reason to believe its going to provide significant benefit.

I've learned that soil pH plays a major role in this process too. Mn becomes more available to the plant at lower pH values. One of the fastest ways to "provide" more Mn to the plant is to ensure pH between 6.5-7.0.

3/28/2013 5:47:04 PM

Colorado

thanks joe

3/28/2013 6:01:16 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

not long ago a "Balanced Soil" was it!...now we are into managing trace minerals? Whats next?..trying to balance Vitamins??.I still don't think it"s that complicated.The 2009Wallace is going to hang on for a long time.

3/28/2013 9:25:22 PM

Colorado

when I get my Mn levels dialed in, I tell ya, I'm gonna hit 2100. And when I get the Mn:Fe ratio maximzed, I'm goinna hit 2500! I hear you Donkin, but since we know we are low on Mn, I think it's worth fixing. Will it add any pounds? I hope so. I guess we'll see.

3/28/2013 9:45:12 PM

Colorado

here's one link that has given me hope that optimizing everything could have benefits. Think about the weight difference of even 1-2% on a pumpkin that weighs 2000 pounds. From a great guy who was way ahead of his time. I think the first line of the article is the best. Wish I could have met him:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=55

3/28/2013 10:03:37 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

i know one thing ...you get a bit too excited with boron applications and it could be a very short season. Don't become a "Boron" i mean "Moron".OH what the @#%$ the boron the better.!!!

3/28/2013 10:13:05 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Speaking of the trace minerals, I took 100 pounds of the older water copper pipes from my house we just had replaced, ground them up and spread evenly over the patch. It now has a nice glow like it won an award or something. I was also low on iron, so I just set a bunch a free weights on the patch. no tilling.

3/29/2013 8:16:30 AM

Torrance, Ca.

Always redneck and always funny Luke!

3/29/2013 9:20:05 AM

Germany

Luke, you forgot to mention the bags full of old batteries (for zinc and manganese).

3/29/2013 12:15:46 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

For more information.....Go to www.ColoradoPumpkins.com
Check out the new links on the left hand column.... MORE TO COME>>^^
Your Worm Hole to hyperspace into the next millennia....

GrowZ'em BIGger........

WiZzzy

This site makeZ very good sense...Knowledge iZ power..Up to date current info.. a wealth.....for health....
http://www.soilminerals.com/information.htm

Manganese can also be quite toxic. It has been (likely still is) used as a flux or anti-oxidant coating on arc-welding rods, and some long-time welders have ended up with chronic and acute symptoms much like those listed above for manganese deficiency: trembling hands and other indications that appear identical to Parkinson's disease.

Manganese, we see,as well as being necessary, can be toxic, especially in diets or soils that are deficient in copper, zinc, and perhaps iron. The paragraph below was already posted above under copper and zinc, but bears repeating:

A brilliant British researcher, the late Mark Purdey, in his groundbreaking work with mad cow disease and chronic wasting disease, found in a worldwide survey that both mad cow and CWD were strongly associated with soils that had very low levels of zinc and copper, combined with high levels of manganese and sometimes high levels of strontium and silver. In those conditions copper in the melanin granules, which are transmitters of outside information to the brain, may be replaced by manganese with disastrous results. In other words, neither mad cow disease nor chronic wasting disease are caused by infectious microbes, but are the result of a mineral imbalance. For more info on Mark Purdey's important work see his website http://www.markpurdey.com/.

3/31/2013 8:08:23 AM

Warwood

Manganese deficiencies are most often observed on well drained neutral or calcareous soils. However, other soils
may cause manganese deficiencies particularly as a result of heavy fertilizer usage. The condition can also be induced on these soils by heavy applications of lime.” [5] The addition of dolomite lime will correct any deficiencies. It has recently been theorized that
pumpkins over 1000 lbs. often have only modest levels of this element present in the soil.
Tea (Black or Green) used as a foliar spray can add this element to your plant if needed.
Limestone used to correct pH always seems to lower Mn but some of the fruit weights don't justify any concern. A soil level slightly over 25 ppm seems to be about right for our purpose but it’s availability to the plant is of the most importance. Mn can easily become locked-up in the soil. Manganese Oxides never seem to become available
to plants. Manganese sulfate is a good
choice as well as Manganese sucrate which is the newest “best practice” added to the
soil.The best bet to get Mn to the plant is usually to get some chelated manganese and apply it lightly, foliarly twice every week during active vine-run and then every other week the rest of the year. Holland Land O’ Giants biomin formula and the Agro-K program is great for “filling in the gaps” with necessary amounts through the season (i.e. Sympsray).
The fungicide Manzate also contains a fair amount of the nutrient Mn ion near about 7.5% concentration.

3/31/2013 5:57:37 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Can one still find Agro K? I am running low on much of it......

3/31/2013 7:12:40 PM

Colorado

Joe I picked up the "hands on agronomy book" on ebay.Looks like I wont get enough manganese cause of my high potassium.

3/31/2013 9:40:05 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Good stuff Perriman.

3/31/2013 11:07:26 PM

Deer Park, WI

Indeed, high potassium can "tie up" Mn availability. I have the same problem. I've been giving serious thought to whether or not my limitations in growing really big fruit are tied to poor balance within the micro and macro nutrients.

I'll be backing off the addition of potassium-rich nutrients to my soil.

Decreasing pH, next to foliar Mn app, is the most effective way to increase Mn availability. While "the crowd" has promoted neutral pH for decades, Im beginning to lean closer to the 6.5 range as the sweet spot for maximum nutrient availability.

4/1/2013 10:11:26 PM

Indiana

I apply Mn foliarly, as I have an acute deficiency in certain areas of my patch. Foliar is the only way to go.

4/3/2013 9:07:51 AM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I'm surprise my soil test shows my Manganese is high. No idea what I've done to make it high as I never put anything on

4/3/2013 8:21:32 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I'm surprise my soil test shows my Manganese is high. No idea what I've done to make it high as I never put anything on

4/3/2013 8:21:45 PM

Deer Park, WI

There are many soils across this great land that have naturally high Mn levels.

4/6/2013 11:25:33 AM