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Tipp City, Ohio

Here are the results of my soil test. from 3/25/03

Texture: Silt Loam
Calcium, ppm...........1,201.13
Magnesium, ppm...........226.21
Phosphorus, ppm..........347.79
Potassium, ppm...........391.53
Sodium, ppm...............20.73
pH.........................6.38
Organic Matter.............2.67

Other than needing to raise the pH and increase the OM any other reccomendations?...Tom

3/28/2003 8:51:47 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

The main thing is to get than %OM up.

Ca to Mg ratio is a little low. But if you use dolomitic lime for the pH, this should come into line.

I'd use any commercial 1-1-1 ratio fertilizer as a pre-plant.(10-10-10 @ 10lbs/M, 14-14-14 @ 7 lbs/M or 19-19-19 @ 5lbs/M, etc)

Maintain with any of the regularly used solubles in a program like the one recommended by Don Langevin in his second book.

Then check to be sure you finish with some supplemental potash.

Steve

3/28/2003 10:34:42 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

What is the Calcium to Magnesium ideal ratio?

Is the pH level too low and tying up the other minerals?

Thanks
Tom

3/29/2003 4:51:55 PM

Western NY

the calcium to magnesium ratio should be around 7:1 Ca:Mg, although i have heard anywhere from 4:1 to 10:1 as ideal. any higher, and you are deficient in magnesium, lower means you need more calcium. this should be calculated using the numbers in the base saturation amounts, not the overall values. this is because the overall values simply show what is there, not what is available to the plants.

tom, if you couls email me your complete results, i'll add them to my file, and send you a copy. what lab did you use?

Andy
farm@eznet.net

3/29/2003 5:16:56 PM

Saegertown Pa.

Andy when you are talking base saturation are talking about %saturation of the CEC
Quinn

3/29/2003 6:30:33 PM

Western NY

yes, the % saturation of the CEC is where you want to look.

3/29/2003 7:02:10 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Hey Andy, I don't know how you keep track, everyone's test seem different...some have percentages ...some have ppm...some have Lbs per acre Yikes...the 2 on this page right now one sez humus matter .06 not this post the one above? is that OM...gonna test my leaves in a month and get a starting point for the patch and see how it changes the next two years..they'll be coming to you! Chuck

4/1/2003 7:25:22 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Ca:Mg ratios averaged 4:1 for the hitters when I poured over the soil test data that is posted on AGGC. I tried also to view reports from folks who grew the same seed but hadn't achieved the same large sizes. This is frustratingly difficult because so many haven't posted soil test results & so many other factors come into play that aren't known.

For the record, the head of my soil lab doesn't place much significance on ca:m ratios so long as niether is dificient. Others feel differently. I feel that some crops do mind & others do not. But which ones?

Steve

4/1/2003 9:30:13 AM