Silica solution added to soil
RoseMe SD
last year
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last yearRoseMe SD
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Added too much top soil now have quicksand
Comments (22)"Whether you will see that "bathtub" affect or not will depend on how water moves through your soil, because if it does not move easily you could have a bathtub, some place where water accumulates." Well, yeah! This is what we've been talking about from the very beginning, so it's hardly enlightening .... and I'm not sure why we need to go on a tangent and take in the elementary lesson about topsoil, but .... ".... but the best method is to get sufficient levels of organic matter into that soil which will then open the soil up so water will flow more freely." Sorry, but that is wishful thinking. For at least this singular thread, you need to let go of the idea that adding organic matter is the cure for all ills. If you are dealing with the problem of a bathtub effect in the middle of thousands and thousands of acres of a soil type that drains poorly, do you really expect the gardener to amend the entire surrounding acreage? Even if he is dealing with a relatively SMALL plot of ground, like a lot that has been stripped of topsoil so that he is growing in clay, it's STILL not reasonable to think that someone will haul in compost by the double-bottom load and incorporate it in the entire volume of surrounding soil so his garden can drain. BTW - if the water has someplace to flow TO, installing $50 worth of drain tile will be a heckofalot less expensive than buying, trucking, and incorporating hundreds, if not thousands of yards of compost into the surrounding soil - which in many cases would only be building a bigger bathtub. No one argues that having a plentiful presence of organic matter in the soil is a good thing, but to habitually ignore other primary factors in favor of promoting a rigid ideology as the answer to everything is, at a minimum, imprudent. Al...See MoreAlkaline soil resultin in Iron deficiency, solution?
Comments (8)Believe the disadvantage of surface application is not exactly that it does little good, but that it requires both greater quantities of material and more time for same results as applications in the root zone. It's still a decent option for periodically maintaining something like an azalea bed that's already at an abnormally low pH for the area or a lawn that's mildly chlorotic, but not so much for curing chlorosis within the short production cycle of annual veggies. Our neighbor kept his acid-loving pines looking good with deep iron treatments via root feeder every year or two. Seems it should also work for established crop plants. Am guessing he was using EDDHA chelated Iron because our soil pH sits above 7.... and he was an old east Texas farmer who paid attention those sorts of details. The MO Botanical Garden page on Iron Chlorosis listed below includes a link to a pin oak treatment using holes bored in the root zone. Might be something that could be adapted on a smaller scale/dosage to other plants. Other variable that's not been mentioned is the soil's health with respect to the microorganisms that produce acids and siderophores that make ferric iron (and other elements) available to the plants. Don't know if any of the retail "soil inoculants" specifically address chlorosis yet, but may be worth a look. Anyone using these? A rain barrel/bucket is another thing to consider. Our rain is slightly acidic. But as mentioned before, Dallas tap water is slightly alkaline. Using rainwater as much as possible to irrigate our more sensitive plants is not a total solution, but does seem to help. Here is a link that might be useful: Iron Chlorosis (MBG)...See MoreSilica, I have that fertilizer in shopping cart on Amazon...question..
Comments (65)I use a fertilizer with no calsium in it, but I apply one or two dried and ground eggshells on a monthly basis. Is that necessary or is it too small amount? I bought marmalade made from Seville oranges, and we'll try that on finnish pancake. Here's the recipe if you are curious enough to try it: 'Pannukakku' 8dl whole milk 4dl wheat flour 2dl sugar 1teaspoon salt 1teaspoon baking powder 150g butter A hinch of vanilla extract/vanilla sugar 1. Combine the dry ingredients. 2. Add milk and eggs, whisk for smooth consistency. 3. Melt the butter and let cool down before adding it to the doe. 4. Warm up the oven to 200c - 225c. 5. Heat a empty pan in oven and melt a teaspoon of butter on it, pour on the doe and bake for 25-30minutes until golden brown. Enjoy with whippd cream and marmalade of any kind, but I prefer it with Vanilla ice cream. Enjoy the taste of my childhood, it brings back so many good memories! :) Edit. Forgot to put in the amount of eggs, so it is 2 eggs to this batch!...See MoreAmending Soil without Adding in Moisture
Comments (32)hello, it's me again. as I get closer to planting time, let's formulate a plan. On the beds I plan to dig out (for the bulbs), the final top 5 inches will look as such. 1 inch mulch on the very top, 4 inches of soil with mulch and compost tilled in. Riddle me this as I don't really use ferts much, except for the vegs and roses. I DO however always sprinkle a dash of super phosphate and biotone if I'm putting something into a hole.... Under the bulbs, I do plan to add some super phosphate. Picked up some bulb food as well. What is the effect of ferts if I plant it 1 inch above the bulbs as opposed to if I apply the ferts in the upper part of the topsoil.' AKA, if it's in the upper 1" of the soil, is the delivery just delayed as it needs to reach the roots. Granted, organic ferts are slow and the microbes need to do their work, etc....Any benefit or difference is one puts ferts in the upper part of the topsoil or the lower ~part~ that is closer towards the bulbs given the ~tilled mix~. The bulbs already have the stored energy for blossoms. Just wanted to add some ferts due to the tilling of the mulch...See Moreseasiderooftop
last yeargardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last yeartapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
last yeartoxcrusadr
last yearlast modified: last year
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