? nitrogen overdose/aphids/mg potting soil

17 years ago

My questions are: How do you mitigate a nitrogen overdose in raised bed plants? Is there something that can be added to reduce the amount of N in the soil?

Aphids and ants, is safe soap the item to use to control both?

Should mg potting soil be mixed with top soil to give less of a fertilzer boost to plants?

Thanx for any responses to any of my questions.

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Comments (7)

dilbert
17 years ago
"Should mg potting soil be mixed with top soil to give less of a fertilzer boost to plants?"

No, use peatmoss.
pkapeckopickldpepprz
17 years ago
Dave I usually blend in vermiculite, peat moss and perlite to ammend garden soil like mg. I bought a 3.8 CU FT Pro Mix this year and it worked well for the plants but got some stalk boring insects that ruined most of my plants. The plants are still growing but ants are now living in the hollow stalks and for some reason since there are holes in most of the stems when I cut open some peppers that look normal on the outside, on the inside the seeds are black and there appears small larvae of some kind.

How do the worms get in the fruit if it is sealed from the outside? I can't imagine they travel through the stem into the fruit as it is growing...
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vera_eastern_wa
17 years ago
As for the nitrogen overdose...water well to leech it out and down away from the root zone.

Vera
koolguymike
17 years ago
fyi
peat moss is pretty acidic and lowers your soil ph.
it is better to get some potting blend like promix in which they have added something to correct the ph.
but of course it all depends on what all you are putting in.

Michael
dilbert
17 years ago
"As for the nitrogen overdose...water well to leech it out and down away from the root zone."

That won't work well because MG potting soil has time release fertilizer, probably Osmocote.
shelbyguy
17 years ago
use a little dolomite lime to correct the pH when using peat

i prefer neem oil to pyrethrin-based pesticides.
ronalawn82
17 years ago
If the source of the nitrogen is ammonium sulphate, addition of limestone (incorporate it) will mitigate the overdose. Ammonia gas will be given off. If the source is urea it can be very readily leached. If the source is from a slow release product, there might be no need to take action.

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? nitrogen overdose/aphids/mg potting soil

Comments (7)

dilbert

pkapeckopickldpepprz

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