Reducing Nitrogen in garden soil
juliameli
8 years ago
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glib
8 years agogrubby_AZ Tucson Z9
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Cant seem to raise nitrogen in soil
Comments (9)It is not possible to get an accurate N reading from a home soil test kit. Even many professional soil testing labs do not test for this nutrient. N is the most mobile of the three primary plant nutrients and is very difficult to assess. It will read differently based on time of year/time of day, whether the area is in sun or shade, how much moisture is in the soil, quantity and type of organic matter and a host of other various factors. At best, you will only get an approximate reading at that point in time. It is also the single nutrient that is most often naturally lacking or deficient in an unamended cultivated garden. Blood meal is a good source of fast acting organic N but sometimes it is too fast :-) In a warm, humid environment, blood meal will convert to ammonia rapidly and this can often burn fragile roots. You need to be very careful with your application rate - no more than a pound per 100sf. A slower, less soluble source would be better. Together with the organic matter of the compost, I'd guess the blood meal plus fish emulsion may have created too high a N level, at least temporarily. And I don't think this is aided by your watering practices (which would flush the excess soluble N) - 6 minutes is not a sufficient duration for any kind of proper soil depth penetration or to satisfy the needs of young, rapidly growing seedlings. It is far better to offer water at the root zone (not with sprinklers, where most evaporates before it hits the ground) for a longer duration and less frequently. You want to check and make sure the water penetrates down into the soil at least 6-8 inches. The bark, if applied very heavily, may also be impeding water penetration as well. I dislike bark for a veggie garden. Better to use a finer textured mulch - chopped grass trimmings, shredded leaves, compost, composted manures, etc., as these will help to retain soil moisture rather than repel it....See MoreNo Nitrogen in Soil
Comments (9)Since you've already added bloodmeal & assuming your test kit is not defective,you could plant peas in the beds.The bloodmeal will give them the nitrogen boost when they germinate & then they will fix all the nitrogen they need from the air.When they are done producing,cut the plants at ground level & turn them under in the beds.If you use pine straw as a mulch for the peas it will help bring the pH down,as it breaks down(if you can shred the pine straw it will break down faster).This method won't be a quick fix,but it will at least add organic matter to your beds in the process....See MoreDo Peas Leave Nitrogen Behind in Soil?
Comments (4)I don't really mean "fertilizer" if you have interpreted that to mean chemical ferts, which I don't use. I have Espoma Flower Tone (3-4-5), and chicken manure (3-4-2), which are the only ferts I use - well, I have the acid fert for my acid-loving plants and of course, the infamous Tomato Tone. The only reason I use this is to build my soil and to add some micros to the mix that might have been depleted since last year. I didn't add anything to the soil at the time I planted the peas, but then I did sprinkle a bit of the Espoma Bloom Tone around the soil close by, to give them a jump start, which was effective BTW. So, the remainder of the bed (the Peas consumed only about 1/4 of the surface area) has not been amended with anything for a couple of years. I didn't add anything last year because I was just growing Zinnias, Datura, and Mexican Sunflowers in it, and they don't really need any kind of soil enrichment at all. Anyway, for that reason, I wanted to add some chicken manure into the soil to continue building the soil there. I rarely use very much of it. As I said, I tend to be on the side of underfertilizing as opposed to over. So, I concur with you because I want to "build" the soil and not depend on chemical fertilizers to do a temperary fix for me. I haven't added or bought a chemical in many years. So I don't know where you are getting that I add anything other than organic soil building material. I also mix in brown matter such as composted leaves, and of course, my little bit of cat frass, LOL! Are you considering the Espomas as chemical fert? I know that the Nitrogen in it is really NOT organic at all. But, I had thought to use the Flower Tone, as I mentioned, for primarily the micros it adds. This was a new bed I created about 3 years ago, had been (and still is to a lesser extent) just bermuda and crab grass, with a bit of Commelina thrown in, which is easy to pull up. It had sat, unused and unfertilized by me for approx 10 years. Consequently, it was pretty lean soil. I know I need to have the soil tested, but for some reason I have a block against it - too much trouble. So, I mess around with it and if things grow well, they grow well and I've done something right. God knows I don't do everything right. But I am extremely conscientious about just building my soil. I would appreciate your insight as to what I CAN grow this time of year in the form of an edible - maybe peppers? Not really fond of them, but might use a few for salsa. Beans? Any dwarf varieties? It's probably too late and too early to plant anything right now. If so, I can always put a few Salvia in there. Susan...See More? nitrogen overdose/aphids/mg potting soil
Comments (7)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......See Morenamahc
8 years agojnjfarm_gw
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agojuliameli
8 years agorgreen48
8 years agodigdirt2
8 years ago
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