Lime for the garden

[Heather Ohio]

Analysis:
PPM
Organic matter: % 2.1
Phosphorus: 3
Magnesium: 100
Potassium: 48
Calcium: 550
Cation exchange capacity: 4.9
PH: 5.6
Buffer ph: 6.9

They are reccomending 5-10-10. They say I should add 6lbs of lime per 100 sq ft.

Clay soil: that means once it rains you better not walk in your garden!

What do ya think?

[Shadesz]

Forget the lime, put on some good mature compost (like 3-4 inches thick) and till it in!! Most compost carries a pH around 7.5. PLUS it will boost your Organic Matter % and cation exchange capacity. You want at least 5% organic matter, 8% is even better.

Until you get your SOM (soil organic matter) up, don't worry about much else.

In reality do what you want, but if it were me... "mucho composto" is what I would do. Your garden, and your dinner plate, will love you for it.

[LuvsToPlant]

Originally Posted by G. Gordon Gumbo

Heather, did the test print-out say whether the lime was needed to raise the pH of the soil, or to provide calcium?

...Yes... That is really the question that came to my mind.

[G. Gordon Gumbo]

Originally Posted by Heather Ohio

Analysis:

PPM
Organic matter: % 2.1
Phosphorus: 3
Magnesium: 100
Potassium: 48
Calcium: 550
Cation exchange capacity: 4.9
PH: 5.6
Buffer ph: 6.9

Clay soil.

What do ya think?

I agree with Shadesz: 2.1% organic matter is low, and if I had predominantly clay soil, I'd pile the organic matter on and till it in as deeply and thoroughly as possible. It will vastly improve your soil drainage.

But personally, I think a pH of 5.6 is a bit low as well. I grow about 95% tomatoes, which prefer soil on the acid side of neutral, and I even think 5.6 is a bit low for me. I'd want it closer to 5.9 to 6.5 or so for tomatoes. If you can achieve that with well rotted compost, fine, and really good compost should be neutral (7.0 ideally), but you run the risk of unknown pH with compost of questionable origin.

Okay, so your pH is low, and your organic matter content is low. If your phosphorus was 15 ppm it would be medium, so you're real low there too. Potassium at about 190 would be medium, so again your very low there too. You don't note nitrogen, no big deal, it's very mobile in soil and that's why you add it every year particularly if you see yellowing on the lower leaves progressing upward through the plant.

In addition to Shadesz's advice to pile on and incorporate mass amounts of organic matter, I'd follow the advice given with your soil tests to lime your garden and fertilize to raise the NPK for this season. Should've done it yesterday as you are probably due for a series of heavy thunderstorm cells today that passed through here (southern Indiana) last night!


GGG

[Longtail]

I wouldnt forget the lime, why do that? Lime does more than add Ca and raise ph; its a great tool to improve soil quality such as drainage, resisting compaction; it is ground rock. Many times tsest show sufficient lime but adding yet more will improve growing conditions, especially in low, wet areas.
I base lot of of what I "think I know" on a book by Dr. V.A.Tiedjens," More food from Soil Science". He is the founder of Growers mineral Soluitions, a product I use to fertilize all things with. I have proven his methods on my farm and see what it has done and is doing for a lot of others. He was a great proponet of the use of lime. The book is worth the effort to read, IF ya want to know more about liming and its benefits. Ive talked about it to a few groups and was well received. Most who listen use a lot of whats proposed by Tiedjens and his mineral company. They have a web site, just google growers mineral Solutions.

[Heather Ohio]

On my way tonight to go get some extremely composted pig manure. A whole truck load full. The best garden I ever grew was composed with this stuff. Luckily an old friend's dad has a pig farm nearby. I know what he feeds and doesn't, and I am fortunate to have this available to me. Phew, hopefully this will just take care of the ph and the CLAY workability.
Yes, the rain is coming tomorrow here, so hopefully I can work it in time.

Thanks everyone for input, always best to "garden talk".

Heather

[Heather Ohio]

Originally Posted by Longtail

I wouldnt forget the lime, why do that? Lime does more than add Ca and raise ph; its a great tool to improve soil quality such as drainage, resisting compaction; it is ground rock. Many times tsest show sufficient lime but adding yet more will improve growing conditions, especially in low, wet areas.
I base lot of of what I "think I know" on a book by Dr. V.A.Tiedjens," More food from Soil Science". He is the founder of Growers mineral Soluitions, a product I use to fertilize all things with. I have proven his methods on my farm and see what it has done and is doing for a lot of others. He was a great proponet of the use of lime. The book is worth the effort to read, IF ya want to know more about liming and its benefits. Ive talked about it to a few groups and was well received. Most who listen use a lot of whats proposed by Tiedjens and his mineral company. They have a web site, just google growers mineral Solutions.

I'll read into it. Thanks

[rockpilefarmer]

In other words, it depends on what you are growing and what soil type you have. I hear you guys....

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by Heather Ohio

I'll read into it. Thanks

I agree with Longtain. I wouldnt forget the lime, because you get
both pH increase AND some clay stabilization with lime. Always
keep a check on the soil pH over your gardening years.

pH values in the range of 6-6.5 are normally pretty good. Your
pH is a tad low.

If you want to raise blueberries, an acid loving crop, you might have
to push your pH down a bit. I had good luck raising blueberries in
Texas in an area where the soil carried 4.5 ph (strongly acid).

Good luck

[rockpilefarmer]

BUT, you never go wrong with composting. Makes it worth while to grow out a pig or raise rabbits.