Posted on 04/17/2015 1:08:22 PM PDT by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks.
No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no telling where it will go and... that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your efforts to share all the info you are getting in class. And - the timing couldn’t be better for a discussion on soil, since this is one of the best times of the year to improve it.
Thanks for the link. I don’t know about the signs, but I do know about the moon phases. The farmer’s almanac lists them for every month. So I figured that there must be something to it.
So basically it’s just kinda like the ocean tides. The moon has an impact on those as is well known. So at certain times of the month the moon will help those roots in their downward growth, for example.
I am sure it works, or the Farmer’s Almanac wouldn’t print it right?
Congrats on the rain.
I was thinking cuke bettles, but it could be nematodes that’s for sure. Hubby just laid plastic over the bed he will use for the corn patch.
I’ll have to get to it later too much on my plate right now. I am not planting any thing in half my beds till late May or early June.
Whoa, that’s a sunroom, and gorgeous. Also, though not expensive, it is out of my budget.
My back patio is 13 ft by 24 ft. My ideal would be to have something similar for the whole patio-Probably not likely in my lifetime.
I DO apologize for my garbled understanding! YOU PARENTS WERE RIGHT!!!! LOLOLOL!
LOL! You need to go posthaste to Springfield and get those cedar boards! They sound wonderful!
Property in Texas where my folks were had LOTS of that scrub cedar. They used it for all kinds of things. The fence posts and trellises with yours are ideal things. Mostly I tried to stay away from them in pollen season! I was surrounded!
I can understand the debate about the chopping of trees. Darlin has been wanting to thin out our pecan trees, and I have not wanted to. Turns out, in class we learned that they are way too close together, and really DO need to be thinned out. Oh well. Darlin really does know a lot that I am only just trying to catch up to! Without the thinning, they are being stressed.
I wish you both well in your discussions! May you come up with the best solution that makes it all a win/win for you both, as well as the overall health of your trees.
You are most welcome, greeneyes. I may not be able to finish my notes in a timely manner, but at least I’m raising some attention flags for people to do more research!
Well, it’s a stalemate - not even a cold war. Now I am reminded of a story a friend of our told. He was laying carpet or tile - can’t remember which.
An old man and his wife were arguing over some thing to do with the house décor. It was rather obvious that the man usually got his way, and did so again.
However, when he left the room, she looked at our friend and said, It ain’t always going to be that way. One of these days, I’ll be able to do whatever the H*LL I want.
LOL! We all do have our own minds and opinions! I can truly relate to your friend’s story! I think we have to pick our battles, and preserve peace as much as possible. Cycles and opportunities change, and we, imho, need to seek out those opportunities within each cycle.
Right now, I have Darlin, and yes, I find that I often defer - often not very gracefully! ... and I know that Darlin defers to me!... but I know that if I did not have sweet Darlin, while I might have total say-so, it would not be near the fun as if Darlin remained with me. I think that the lady who told that story to your friend had been cognizant of this in some way.
I’d miss Big D like a front tooth! My personal choice is to enjoy this cycle of having the love of my life with me, and to do what I need to do for our mutual happiness. It truly is a very rich opportunity for me! But that’s just me. Everyone has their own challenges and relationship decisions and patterns.
After 50 years, I have to say, I’m very happy with my choice, and thank God for bringing us together.
Not only pick your battles, but also timing is everything. First you have to have a receptive person. You could talk, and be just perfect in all that you said, but if the person was not receptive, they really won’t even hear it.
And sometimes all you should do is plant a seed and wait. Give it a little water now and then, and pretty soon the idea takes root, and bears beautiful fruit. LOL
So very well said.... hey! It’s sorta like a GARDEN!!! :-D
LOL. Yes it is, and intentionally so.
;-D thought so! ;-D
Not sure if I’m posting on the correct garden thread. My apologies if I’m in the wrong class room!
Begin, Installment 5 on SOILS
MOBILITY OF NUTRIENTS (cont)
Plants absorb Nitrogen from a large volume of soil. If there are lots of plants in an area, they can compete.
He showed a drawing here of a couple of plants with their roots able to be seen in the soil. Below is my best attempt to indicate it with typing symbols
Plant above ground ___\l/___ ___\l/__
Root stems l l
Root system / l \ / l\
[ ] [ ]
Imagine a couple of spheres surrounding the root systems of each plan with the diameter shown (very) roughly by the above braces. The spheres would encompass the root systems up to the surface of the soil. In his picture, the spheres did not overlap, but if they had been closer together, they certainly would have, indicating competition for the resource.
[O dear. Just saw on the preview that my carefully crafted “drawing” got blown to bits. Not sure what to do about it. Basically think of the zone of nutrient uptake for mobile soils is a spherical area around the root system, and can enter into another plant’s uptake sphere if the plants are too close together.]
NITROGEN REQUIREMENT
* Crop to be grown
* Yield goal
* N requirement
* N needs = N requirement – Soil NO3-N
* Credits for subsurface and manure N
CROP UPTAKE OF IMMOBILE NUTRIENTS (P and K)
Another picture. See a plant with its root structure shown, as above. Instead of seeing a large sphere of resource available around the plant, with the IMMOBILE nutrients, there is only a small cylinder surrounding each root fiber providing the immobile nutrient. Absorption is from just a thin cylinder of soil around each root. Immobile nutrients can build up to adequate levels.
PHOSPHORUS REQUIREMENT
*Soil test P index (Mehlich 3 method)
* Percent sufficiency
* P requirement (P2O5 pounds per acre)
He showed a graph here which I am unable to duplicate plotting on the x axis the Soil Test P. The vertical axis shows the Relative Crop Yield (%)
As your soil test of P is low (bottom left on the graph) and the Relative crop yield increases, there is a rising curve as the soil test reaches high levels. What is interesting about this graph is that once you get adequate high levels of phosphorus, the yield levels off, and the line has flattened out at the top of the 100% yield. Once this has been reached, application of more phosphorus becomes excessive and nonproductive, and in fact can begin causing significant environmental problems.
Nutrient imbalance, too much N, are the causes of delayed crop maturity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
SOIL IS A LIVING BODY
Soil is a Fundamental Part of the Ecosystem
The living systems occurring above and below the ground surface are determined by the properties of the soil.
There was an intricate picture of “The Soil Food Web” shown.
It showed the relationship among plants, organic materials, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, fungi, arthropods, birds, and animals. Each of these were assigned a trophic level. There are 5, the first of which is photosynthesis by the plants, with the higher life forms (birds and animals) being Trophic Level 5.
“Living systems above and below grounds are determined by the soil.”
Soil components consist of water, air spaces, bacteria, clay, sand, silt, fungae, clay-organic matter complex.
IMPROVING SOIL QUALITY
Adding organic material – can take a lot of work, but is worth it!
Minimize soil loss – Takes a long time to create 1” of soil. This is why cover crops are important.
Keep it natural – minimize adding chemicals as much as possible. He does not use a lot of chemical insecticides
Soil Organic Matter Benefits soil in many ways:
*Improves soil physical condition
* Increases water infiltration and holding capacity
* Improves soil tilth
* Decreases erosion losses
* Supplies plant nutrients
*Increases CEC [Texokie: ok, I don’t have a clue what CEC is…]
He showed a number of pix of how to incorporate organic matter. He also stated that one can bury plant residues, chop it into pieces. Use poultry litter / animal manure
He was saying that one CAN use fresh poultry litter. A person asked, “doesn’t poultry litter have to lay for a year or so? “ He said, “no, just be very reserved in using it – less than ½ “ and you’ll be ok.” He was saying he uses fresh litter to dress some of the plants in his flower beds. “Be very careful with hot manures on veggies. Do let them sit for several months – be conservative with the application of “hot” nutrients, but you can do it for veggies after a few months.
Leaf shredders- can put result into bags and use as organic matter or mulch at any time
Cover crops – (“green manure”) : retains nutrients, reduces erosion, fixes nitrogen, adds organic matter to the soil. He likes to plant peas because they fix N and his family enjoys the peas. When they are finished, he chops them and buries them. Their favorites are the English (Oregon) Snow Peas. Farmers will often plant clover.
Legumes fix N into the soil naturally. There is 78% N in the air, but plants can’t use it. It has to be “fixed.”
End of Installment 5 on SOIL
I treat the soil like it was alive, because it is.
If my soil is healthy, my plants turn out healthy.
/johnny
I know it is the wrong time of year, but I'm going to make some cheese this week. I pulled out the cheese press that I made over 12 years ago, and am soaking it, so the wood stays together.
I even did the ironwork myself, making the hoops that hold it all together.
We'll see how it works this time of year. I've made pounds and pounds of cheese with it over the years.
/johnny
That’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us. Now how about a couple of cheese recipes and instructions. I have been making my own yogurt, and been thinking about taking a class in cheese making. Pretty please?
Well, there is an installment Volume 17, but this is a great little summary on soil. Help me remember to link it to Friday’s thread in case anyone missed it.
Thanks for the great job you are doing sharing your experiences in gardening class.
I use clover, hairy vetch, and rye for my main cover crops. When I’m done with my green beans, I work them into soil too. I also plant a few beans in with my corn patch.
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