Plants stop growing

8 years ago

Hi Everyone. I was hoping someone could suggest a quick fix for a problem we seem to have a lot. So here's what happens... I plant something like peas. They sprout immediately and look great. Then when the pea plant gets to about 12" high, it stops. It doesn't die. But it doesn't get any larger. I think the soil should be ok. But it's possible that I'm missing something vital in the soil. Am I missing nitrogen? Something else?

If I had to guess, I'd say that the "compost" I used before planting wasn't composted enough which led to a lack of nitrogen. But I could be totally wrong. What do you think?

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
where are you???

and are we talking about right now.... late fall for most of us??? .. if you planted them very late.. way out of sync with ma nature.. the declining intensity of the sun may have coaught up with your crop ...

have a soil test done thru your county extension office... and then start talking about ferts...

too many peeps think fert is some panacea ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=panacea&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

except in the most sterile soils ... it is not ...

where are you.. tell us about all the other cultural issues... full sun ... crop rotation ... soil type.. drainage.. watering ... etc ...

i am going to bet my shiny nickle ... its other than fert ... and you will waste another season.. if you rely on such ...

ken
Brian Lanning
Original Author
8 years ago
Sorry, I should have clarified. I'm in Uruguay. So it's spring here. :-)

I don't want to get the county involved. I wouldn't trust what they tell me. I live in an agricultural community that's in love with chemicals.

The soils are black here, about 12" deep on a clay hard pan. The soils are probably depleted since the locals are all about NPK and planting for profit rather than what's actually good. I'm mainly interested in planting on a smaller scale. So I can make whatever soil I need. There's plenty of water and sun.

I guess I'm more interested in generalities. What kinds of deficiencies lead to a plant simply stopping like this?

If I miss a season, I don't really care. The season is really long here anyway. And we can plant many things out in the open during the winter. And that's before we even talk about greenhouses.
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
8 years ago
Are they planted in just "compost"? Could you describe your soil?

tj
Brian Lanning
Original Author
8 years ago
I've tried a variety of different things including just the top soil, composted wood chips, composted manure (from a variety of animals), and whatever else I could find around here, in ground and in pots. It's entirely possible that I'm not composing things correctly. But the end result always seems to be the same... plants grow about a foot high, then stop. We had a volunteer tomato plant that grew just fine though.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
Peas, specifically, do best if the soil is inoculated with the required bacteria it needs to fix nitrogen. All vegetables need a nutritional supply, preferably something balanced rather than nitrogen only.

N, P, and K are required elements, and not in minuscule amounts. You'll need to insure that your soil, compost, and amendments are rich with NPK and more.
kimmq
8 years ago
The only way to know what the levels of NPK in soils are is with a good reliable soil test and a Google search for soil testing in Uruguay resulted in nothing of use, so it is difficult to know if there is anyplace in Uruguay that does soil testing.

Soil pH affects nutrient availability and if too high or too low can keep plants from being able to use the nutrients from soil. Too much raw organic matter in soils can cause Nitrogen to not be available to plants since the soil microbes will use the available N to digest that raw organic matter.

Perhaps these simple soil tests might be of some help.

1) Soil test for organic
material. 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 drains’ 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, to a point. Too much organic matter
can be bad as well.

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.

You do need to know where you are to begin the journey to where you want to be.

kimmq is kimmsr
Brian Lanning
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for the great post. I'll try the tests. I suspect that the soil has too much clay and doesn't drain well. As far as worms are concerned, some places have worms and others don't. I'll do the tests you suggest. I think I have a pH test kit somewhere, but I think it's intended for water.