TN 30'x60' garden Soil Test Results.

[gary350]

I took my garden soil samples to Farmers Co-op Friday about 10 days ago, they sent it off on Monday results came Friday while we were gone camping for 3 days. Results came to me by email it was a pdf file. My computer will not open pdf so I had to drive 15 miles to get a photo copy.

Man at co-op said, most TN soil is in the low range. I don't think I ever saw a soil test good as yours. He asked what are you growing and I said, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, corn, cabbage, peppers, strawberries, peas, carrots.

The man said, ph is good, calcium is good, iron is good, organic matter 6.3%, all your plants need 6-12-12 fertilizer and corn needs nitrogen. I would bet this Co-op man has never grown, onions, carrots, garlic or potatoes.

I was expecting Iron to be high I threw 1/4 of a 5 gallon bucket of bent rusty nails in the garden 5 years ago.

I still have no clue why my whole garden turn green with algae last summer. No rain for a month, then July 100°f weather and 1" of rain the entire garden was green with algae this killed all my strawberry plants. OH well strawberry are worse that weeds once you get them started doing 150 trans plants every summer is more work than I want.

Soil test told me what I already expected.

 

[oneeye]

You are smart for getting a soil test friend. I can see from the soil test that you have entered into a danger zone with phosphorus. The man that told you to add 6-12-12 fertilizer gave you very bad advice.

The algae problem you had last year and this soil test is a signal the phosphorus is in the above normal range. Phosphorus doesn't leave or desolve it stays and If you keep adding phosphorus with manures or fertilizers yearly you will make your soil toxic to plants.

Phosphorus builds up in soil due to its strong retention by soil particles and slow leaching, often exacerbated by excessive fertilizer or manure applications, leading to a buildup of phosphorus that will exceed plant needs making soil toxic.

Algae, like all plants, require phosphorus to grow and it's often a limiting nutrient that can trigger excessive algal growth, leading to algae blooms. Adding more will only make your algae problem worse. Algae thrives in excess nutrients, sunlight, and warm temperatures with damp nights. Algae reproduces asexually through spores and your environment is loaded waiting for the right conditions to bloom again.

I have ran into this many times in the horticulture business and working with Texas A&M soil testing lab they always recommended no phosphorus fertilizer for 5 years to allow the soil to regain its homeostasis. I hope that helps. Thanks for the post.

 

[gary350]

You are smart for getting a soil test friend. I can see from the soil test that you have entered into a danger zone with phosphorus. The man that told you to add 6-12-12 fertilizer gave you very bad advice.

The algae problem you had last year and this soil test is a signal the phosphorus is in the above normal range. Phosphorus doesn't leave or desolve it stays and If you keep adding phosphorus with manures or fertilizers yearly you will make your soil toxic to plants.

Phosphorus builds up in soil due to its strong retention by soil particles and slow leaching, often exacerbated by excessive fertilizer or manure applications, leading to a buildup of phosphorus that will exceed plant needs making soil toxic.

Algae, like all plants, require phosphorus to grow and it's often a limiting nutrient that can trigger excessive algal growth, leading to algae blooms. Adding more will only make your algae problem worse. Algae thrives in excess nutrients, sunlight, and warm temperatures with damp nights. Algae reproduces asexually through spores and your environment is loaded waiting for the right conditions to bloom again.

I have ran into this many times in the horticulture business and working with Texas A&M soil testing lab they always recommended no phosphorus fertilizer for 5 years to allow the soil to regain its homeostasis. I hope that helps. Thanks for the post.

Thanks for the good information. Looks like I need to buy 0-0-20 fertilizer. No more phosphorus.

Our weather has changed, spring we typically have rain 6 days a week all spring until May. I recall TV weather man say once today rain so far this year Jan to May was 37". Last year and this year we are in a drought. Even though we had 15" of rain last month and roads were flooded and everything was mud and bridges were wash away we are still in a drought because the total rain for the year is 20" less than average. Last year average rain was low, rain stopped in May rain, no June rain, then 1" of rain, no rain for another month, then 3/4" or rain, no rain for another month, Sept to Dec very low rain. I don't recall how low rain was last year. We are low on rain again this year according to TV weather man. Garden this year is getting off to a very dry start. We have been having wind gusting up to 40 mph for a week and warm weather 75° my garden is dry as desert already.

High phosphorus could be not enough rain to wash it away. Starting today NO more phosphorus in the garden all summer.

 

[oneeye]

Thanks for the good information. Looks like I need to buy 0-0-20 fertilizer. No more phosphorus.

Our weather has changed, spring we typically have rain 6 days a week all spring until May. I recall TV weather man say once today rain so far this year Jan to May was 37". Last year and this year we are in a drought. Even though we had 15" of rain last month and roads were flooded and everything was mud and bridges were wash away we are still in a drought because the total rain for the year is 20" less than average. Last year average rain was low, rain stopped in May rain, no June rain, then 1" of rain, no rain for another month, then 3/4" or rain, no rain for another month, Sept to Dec very low rain. I don't recall how low rain was last year. We are low on rain again this year according to TV weather man. Garden this year is getting off to a very dry start. We have been having wind gusting up to 40 mph for a week and warm weather 75° my garden is dry as desert already.

High phosphorus could be not enough rain to wash it away. Starting today NO more phosphorus in the garden all summer.

Your soil test shows no need for any NPK at all.

 

[Meadowlark]

... I can see from the soil test that you have entered into a danger zone with phosphorus.

A predictable outcome for years of synthetic fertilizer use without soil tests.

The philosophy of "After 50 years of garden in TN I learned what works with no soil test. It is more important to know what your plants need than what your soil needs" eventually catches up to everyone who adheres to it.

A very wise lesson in evidence.

Correcting the overload is not easy or quick.

 

[Meadowlark]

Your soil test shows no need for any NPK at all.

I didn't see any reading for "N"...did you?

Also, many of the micro-nutrients have no values that I can see. Sometimes those can be critical.

 

[Meadowlark]

...I still have no clue why my whole garden turn green with algae last summer. ...Soil test told me what I already expected.

That soil test was more than just a clue...

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Long term rain fall figures can be deceptive. I remember an Arizona cousin telling my father their annual rainfall and it was only a couple of inches less than Southern England, where it always seems to be raining.
"But why is it desert?"
"You get drizzle all the time, we get a year's worth in three days."

 

[RootLover1]

Do you have to divide result values by 2 to convert to ppm?

 

[oneeye]

I didn't see any reading for "N"...did you?

Also, many of the micro-nutrients have no values that I can see. Sometimes those can be critical.

The above is a basic soil test without micronutrients. You can ask for a more details for more money with different soil tests. Texas A&M has many different soil analyses for a price. However with a pH of 6.8 hes probably good in micronutrients.

 

[oneeye]

Thanks for the good information. Looks like I need to buy 0-0-20 fertilizer. No more phosphorus.

Our weather has changed, spring we typically have rain 6 days a week all spring until May. I recall TV weather man say once today rain so far this year Jan to May was 37". Last year and this year we are in a drought. Even though we had 15" of rain last month and roads were flooded and everything was mud and bridges were wash away we are still in a drought because the total rain for the year is 20" less than average. Last year average rain was low, rain stopped in May rain, no June rain, then 1" of rain, no rain for another month, then 3/4" or rain, no rain for another month, Sept to Dec very low rain. I don't recall how low rain was last year. We are low on rain again this year according to TV weather man. Garden this year is getting off to a very dry start. We have been having wind gusting up to 40 mph for a week and warm weather 75° my garden is dry as desert already.

High phosphorus could be not enough rain to wash it away. Starting today NO more phosphorus in the garden all summer.

High phosphorus content will not wash away with the rain like other nutrients. Phosphorus is non-metal element without magnetic properties or conductivity. That's the whole problem, friend It doesn't wash away. If you get a soil test every year for the next five years you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[oneeye]

I didn't see any reading for "N"...did you?

Also, many of the micro-nutrients have no values that I can see. Sometimes those can be critical.

Nitrogen can be regenerated from added materals in the soil that feed the microbes. Plants obtain nitrogen from the soil in the form of nitrates (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) after it has been converted by microorganisms through a process called nitrogen fixation. If he adds any nitrogen to the soil he will feed the algae problem.