What do I do with my soil report?

10 years ago

Hi all,

We just got our lovely soil report back, and now I know (sort of) what my soil's problems are. I'm now wondering what exactly I can do to add organic amendments to the new garden (120' x 120').

I know blood meal and bone meal are usually considered good sources of N and P, but what else might I use, considering the results of my test? (I have to admit to not understanding about half of what's on that report. lol) Any other advice or experience that might help me? This is our first go at a big garden, and I really want to build a good foundation for our plants to really thrive.

I wish the lab gave recommendations in organic amendments, instead of chemicals. ;o)

I often order things from Azure Standard (kelp meal, alfalfa pellets, sea minerals) so if anyone is familiar with amending their garden with things supplied by AS, then that would be a bonus.

(Image of results is attached--page one is on the right, page two on the left. I think my image software was feeling Chinese today . . . and I can't get it to be higher quality, so please forgive me the headache you might get from fuzzy numbers . . . )

Thanks so much!

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Comments (6)

zzackey
10 years ago
Someone at your local agricultural center should be able to read that. That's who does our local soil tests. They should be able to recommend what you need.
andalee
Original Author
10 years ago
Ours is singularly unhelpful. :o( Hence my posting here . . .
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"just me 6" ... I agree with Kimmsr that you want to get the lime in there to start working, BUT I don't know that I think doing so before the builder levels things out makes sense. I just picture you distributing the lime well across the top of the soil, and the bulldozer coming and scraping the top 3 inches away here and filling in a dip there ... resulting in a really uneven distribution of the lime. If I were you I'd wait. If I read you right, we're just talking about waiting until Tuesday or Wednesday; I think waiting a few days is worthwhile to increase the chances you get your lime distributed pretty evenly. As to improving your "nasty sticky clay soil" ... lime will fix the pH, but I don't think it will affect the texture. You want better "tilth" ... not sure if a search on that word here will bring up articles that will help. Adding lots of organic material is the single best way to improve your tilth, for a variety of reasons. First, just mechanically, having lots of bits of organic stuff in between the sticky bits separates them and lets air and water in. Next, the soil beasties that are going to eat that organic stuff will, in the process, glue some of the clay particles together into aggregates (bigger bits), which tend to permit air and water to penetrate around/between them. Do you have a source of free municipal mulch? By that, I mean ground up leaves that a nearby city collected in the fall, let sit over the winter, and puts out for you to take the following year? That can be good stuff or it can be garbage-y. I have a couple of cities around me to choose from, and have a clear preference for one over another.... Alternately, if you're willing and able to spend, get a truckload of compost from a local nursery. Go there first to see what they'll sell you. My nursery sells it for $35/yard, and they're selling pretty nice stuff (ground a lot finer than the municipal free stuff, looks more decomposed, maybe is in a more managed pile over the winter?). Till it in to your soil after the builder and before you first plant. Then add more to the perennial beds. And keep adding more to any plants that can be mulched (nearly everything except grass) forever more. (Wood and bark mulches last longer, but ground up leaves feed the soil better.) By the way, don't let anyone sell you topsoil. You have plenty of the mineral component of soil already. You want more of the organic component, and that's the only part it makes any sense to pay anyone to haul to you. Don't let them talk you into a mix of compost and topsoil either ... that would be better for their profit, but not better for you. (UNLESS you have a shallow area you want to fill ... but then, the builder should fix that, right?) I know, I'm not giving a lot of advice on the soil test. But you asked how to make sticky clay better, and in my flower beds, compost and leaf mulch are what does it. - LCPW p.s. On the "posey power" ... hard to say without knowing what it is, and some facts about what KIND of clay you have. I have learned here that one kind of clay actually can be broken up well by a chemical additive that nurseries sell. But many many folks have asked about it and knowledgeable folks here have said, "you're in a part of the country with clay that won't be helped by that in the least". I'd say don't do it until you know more.
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zzackey
10 years ago
Sorry that happened to you. If they did the test they should be able to read it. If you can enlarge it somehow maybe someone can help you. I can hardly read the small words. I wonder if another county would mind reading for you?
andalee
Original Author
10 years ago
Our county extension doesn't do tests directly. They send them away to a lab, which is nearly as much as the lab we ended up sending our sample to. (And we got a much better test for our money.)

I'm really looking for an organic gardener's perspective on amendments, as well. (Hence this forum.) Our extension is really pretty darn conventional.
User
10 years ago
Nice report...it gives a lot of good info.

Your pH is a bit low, but not dangerously low. You shouldn't have a problem with most garden crops.

You can pretty much use a general purpose NPK fertilizer in-season, especially if you're adding organic NPK.

You need some Zn, Mg, and S help, too.

You need a little Cu + B help, but you need an extremely small amount of it. Your Ca level is low, but it's not dangerously low. Something slow-release and cheap like bone meal will help over time.

Long story short...NPK fertilizer at time of planting (or just before) along with NPK during the growing season...Zn, Mg, and S amendments...look for a micronutrient source of Cu and B (which you might be able to find in combination with the above nutrients in a mix)...Ca help is needed, but not as urgent as the others listed.

Be very careful with the Cu and B if you choose to amend it outside of very small amounts...especially the B.

Blood meal (great/cheap N source), bone meal (Ca/P, some N), potassium sulfate/"potash" (K, S), sulfur (S)...various ways to get Zn and Mg organically.

Some people don't consider potassium sulfate "organic"...but that's splitting hairs, imo. It comes down to a binding agent for the purposes of organic grower approved...and some formulations (a bit more expensive) use an organically approved binder if that's an issue to you. Would I recommend non-certified potassium sulfate to a certified organic farm? No. Would I recommend it for a home gardener? Yes, unless that harmless-to-anything binding agent is an instant-"no" because you want to do it 100% organic as a choice.

Since your organic matter is 2.5% (which isn't bad at all, though it may sound low) you can search out many other ways to achieve these nutrient balances...such as poultry manures and various composts...and many other things.

That said, you're working with a lot of land (14,400 sq ft) so you might find it easier to get it done with straight amendments...even the Cu and B (be very careful with the B).

This post was edited by nc-crn on Fri, Oct 18, 13 at 23:33
Kimmsr
10 years ago
The soil pH, at 6.5, is in the middle of the range most plants like 6.0 to 7.0. Organic matter is low, 2.4 percent where 6 to 8 percent is optimal. Phosphorus and Potash are both low, however if the amount of organic matter is increased they most likely will also.
Sources of Phosphorus besides bone meal (not too acceptable to organic growers anymore) would be rock phosphate and sources of Potash would be granite dust, however, the levels of those macro nutrients increased in my soil with just the addition of organic matter.
Perhaps these simple soil tests will also help.
1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsÃ¢ÂÂ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

What do I do with my soil report?

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zzackey

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What do I do with my soil report?

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zzackey

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