low potassium in new raised bed

9 years ago

I recently had a soil test done. My results came back as very high or optimum in everything except Potassium, which is very low. This is for a new bed for veggies (4' x 8')where there was previously only grass. I have not yet recieved the recommendations from the U of Illinois extension but I would like to make the necessary ammendments soon. I went so far as to buy a bag of Potash but then I read somewhere that Muriate of Potash may not be the best solution...Does anyone have advice about what form the potassium ammendment should be?

Thanks,

Laura

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Comments (5)

grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Get powdered greensand or granite dust. Use lots of composted OM, especially manures (my favorite). Bury kitchen garbage in your dirt; it'll rot quickly. Ashes may work for you with some minor pH rise. Dig in kelp. Pour on fish emulsion at transplant time.

Immediate term: ashes and OM. Long term: minerals and OM.
lolear thanked grubby_AZ Tucson Z9
tcstoehr
9 years ago
Count yourself lucky. Easier to add deficiencies than remove excesses. I wish I could take some of the Potassium out of my vegetable garden and give it to you.
lolear thanked tcstoehr
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lolear
Original Author
9 years ago

Still unsure if I should use the muriate of potash or wait and get some kelp and/or other product...? Seems like the muriate is not an immediately available source of potassium...

Admittedly, I have never read one of these tests results before. Can anyone elucidate it for me?

Thanks again.
tcstoehr
9 years ago
It seems your test is only for P, K, Ca, Mg, pH and OM%. While this does reveal some potential issues it is a very incomplete test. What is revealed here of course is that you are quite low on Potassium and several good recommendations have been given for that. Your Ca and Mg and pH are quite adequate so you don't need to bother with limes.Keep in mind Greensand (if you use it) contains alot of Iron and Magnesium, and you're already more than sufficient in Magnesium. You may also be high in Iron for all we know. That's something you need to be aware of, many soil amendments contain additional minerals that may not be good. For example, I won't use chicken manure in my garden because I already have high levels of Phosphorous and Potassium.

I particularly like to know the Sulfur level because it is an important mineral for plant health and I also use a couple of soil additives that contain Sulfur (gypsum and ammonium sulfate), And since my Sulfur levels are reasonably low, I don't worry that I might be getting too high in Sulfur, for the time being anyway.

If it were me I'd want to know the Sulfur content, and all those others honestly. What if your Zinc levels are way low? They're probably not but I'd be curious.

The exchange capacities look pretty good from my limited understanding, excepting K which we understand.

I use a test that covers all the minerals listed in your report, and a few more. It costs $35 which I don't consider cheap but I value the information. It includes amendment recommendations per 1000 square feet. I did this for the last two years but will likely only do it every 2nd or 3rd year going forward.
lolear thanked tcstoehr
lolear
Original Author
9 years ago
So, tcstoehr, just to be clear, I can add both the muriate of potash for long term AND the kelp meal for the short term? How much of each should i add for a 4' x 8' bed with a 12" depth?

Thanks so much for your help.

low potassium in new raised bed

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low potassium in new raised bed

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