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tested soil... now what???

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by couponmama on March 10, 2006 10:40 AM
Thank you to everybody for all of the feedback on my last post, I am already learning a lot! I went ahead and tested the soil for ph... it looks like between 6.0-7.0

So my question now is... what should I mix into my soil, and how much for a 24x12ft patch? I am planting a variety of a lot of things.
by weezie13 on March 10, 2006 12:20 PM
Okay, what are you planning on planting..
*that helps alot... so we know what kinds of
plants you're growing to meet some of their growing requirements.. acid, etc.

But my most favoritest thing is COMPOSTTTTTTTT!!
Great stuff, good for the soil, the worms,
the plants.. helps any type of soil you have..
Breaks up clay, helps retain moisture in sandy soils, etc...

And I'm partial to organics..
Bone meal, Blood meal, etc...

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Longy on March 10, 2006 06:28 PM
Well your Ph is pretty good for most vegies i'd say, so that's a great start. Do you have access to any composted organic matter? If you can dig this into the soil, it will help to retain moisture as well as act as a slow release fertiliser for your plants. If you can't get compost, i'd suggest a handful to the square yard of pelletised chicken manure, and get yourself some liquid seaweed and some liquid fish emulsion. This will supply all your plants need. Perhaps not in the exact amounts required but this first season growing will tell you a lot about your soil. Most of what you said you will be planting in your other post should be Ok with this broad spectrum mix.
After digging the chicken manure pellets thru, water well and once the bed starts to dry again, maybe a few days, you'll be right to start planting.
Use the seaweed extract to water your seedlings before you transplant and immediatley after. This will reduce transplant shock and they'll just carry on. You may need to put a bit of shade over the seedlings after transplanting, for a few days, to get them used to the full sun. Do the transplanting late in the afternoon.
The fish fertiliser is a great tonic and mild fertilizer and it can be applied at half the recommended strength to the seedlings weekly. This will get them off to a good start. Then just water regular and learn as you go.
You may want to mulch the plants as the weather warms. Keep an eye out for something useful like spoiled bales of straw.

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The secret is the soil.
by johnCT on March 10, 2006 08:35 PM
Compost, compost, compost!

....and maybe some poop... [thumb]

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John - Zone 6
by Amigatec on March 10, 2006 10:35 PM
Yep I would try to find some poop, I don't know what type of livestock is in your area, but here in Oklahoma Cattle are everywhere, and they make it fresh everyday.

Most farmers are more than glad to let your have all the poop you can shovel.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by couponmama on March 11, 2006 02:16 AM
Thanks everybody! I am off to look for "poop"!
by Longy on March 11, 2006 06:11 AM
If you find manure straight out of the field or wherever, it may be still hot, it may harbour weed seed and it will likely be quite acidic. I'd compost the manures first, or if you dig it into a bed, leave it to settle for a few weeks to let the heat go out of it and allow the seeds to germinate so you can dig them back in. The pelletised chicken manure i suggested, as it is ready to go and your seedlings are ready now too. This is what i was referring to in your original post regarding soil preparation. If your going to add manures to the beds, they will need to settle. Again though, compost is best.

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The secret is the soil.
by peppereater on March 11, 2006 06:34 AM
Horse ranchers, and maybe cattle ranchers, often have old piles of rotted manure and straw or sawdust from cleaning out stables. If you can't find much of anything this year, though, you could just plant and then see how things do, and fertilize later, if necessary...and start composting for next year. Another idea for fertilizer...any time I want it, I can go get pigeon droppings from a guy who has over 200 homing pigeons...they say it is better than chicken poop, and doesn't burn plants! Contact a local pigeon racing organization, and I'm sure you'll find plenty!

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!
by Amigatec on March 11, 2006 06:57 AM
You might also check to see of you have a local stock yard in the aream my local stock yard has a big pile they will let you load all you want.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by weezie13 on March 11, 2006 07:00 AM
Bunny Farms, and Mushroom farms toooooo! [thumb]

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by couponmama on March 11, 2006 10:14 AM
So maybe the pelletised chicken manure is the way to go this year... I really don't have time to wait for manure to settle, but this is all good info for future years...
by detectorbill on March 12, 2006 12:17 AM
How long am I looking at waiting if I just started a compost pile to use it? I'm pretty sure I can get more horse manure, some is pretty decomposed and old straw, but probablly just a small pile.

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.
by tkhooper on March 12, 2006 01:01 AM
depending on how how the pile gets sometime 2 months is all it takes. I think. Now I'm not sure. Wish my memory was better. We'd better wait for Weezie to answer that one.

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by Amigatec on March 12, 2006 03:01 AM
quote:
Originally posted by weezie13:
Bunny Farms, and Mushroom farms toooooo! [thumb]
We have a mushroom up the road about 80 miles.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.
by Longy on March 12, 2006 06:10 AM
So maybe the pelletised chicken manure is the way to go this year... I really don't have time to wait for manure to settle, but this is all good info for future years...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah i reckon so CM. I know a commercial scale organic grower who uses this method. Just adds the chicken manure and tests the ph and plants seedlings straight into it. he does well.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

How long am I looking at waiting if I just started a compost pile to use it?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can get the compost to be ready in 5 or 6 weeks. Depends how much you trn it really. I turn mine 3 times in about 3 months but if i get a bit more serious i can have it ready in half that time.

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The secret is the soil.
by couponmama on March 12, 2006 01:55 PM
Okay - it looks like a might have a free source of "nicely composted horse manure" as it was described to me... so, how do I tell if this is suitable for adding to the soil? Also, how much and what would be the minimum amount of time to wait before planting? I am planning to rent a rototiller to go over the patch... we dug out the top layer of soil so there is nothing there but dirt... should I mix the manure in with the rototiller?
by Longy on March 12, 2006 03:47 PM
If it's already composted, then it's OK to put into the soil and plant a few days later. Take a handful of the stuff and if it's a dark, crumbly texture that smells like a forest floor it's perfect. (If it smells like horseshit then it isn't ready. Put it elsewhere and compost it.) Roto tiller is fine but don't go too hard with it, just enough to break the stuff into the soil. I'd put in half a wheelbarrowful to the square yard if it's readily available. Add the chicken manure too. At about a clenched handful to the square yard. Thing about organic fertilisers is they slowly break down into humus, and supply the plants needs as the plant requires it. So fertilizer burn is less of an issue. You may like to start looking for a supply of mulch to cover the soil with. You're going great BTW.

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The secret is the soil.

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