DR3W
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Location: Gonzales, LA

New guy with a soil question...?

Hi guys, first post here and I have a soil question.
first off, I'm new to all of this, I'm not a gardener.. bout the only thing I have planted is rye grass for my calves but I wanted to start and learn to grow my own veggies..

here's the deal a few weeks ago I decided I would like to try and plant some vegetables so I started doing some research and deciding what I wanted to plant and talked to a few people briefly about it. I decided on my vegetables and everyone said that this past weekend was the best for us in my area (south Louisiana) to plant that I may have already been too late on certain plants. So in a hurry I tilled up my plot formed up my soil and planted my veggies all in a weekend.. I did not take the time to test my soil or anything like that and I may have jeopardized my crops.. because I don't know much. but I'm a learner as I go, I retain it better! I tilled in some Preen weed preventer and I spread some "Pennington All Purpose Plant Food" as I planted the seeds and transplanted my tomato plants.. when the soil was freshly tilled it looked pretty good and "rich" but each yesterday and today when I came home to water the soil looks clumpy and rough.. I'm wondering now if I should have mixed in some miracle-gro soil mix to help my seeds germinate and take root better, is it too late to go back and mix some in? Seeds were planted on Sunday 2 days ago..

I planted Sweet Corn, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Okra, Celebrity Tomato and some Beans.

any info is greatly appreciated, Just taking my first steps in learning, and I hope my first attempt is not in vain.. :oops:

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jal_ut
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I hate to tell you this.......
Preen prevents seeds from germinating. It is designed to be used on lawns or perennial gardens where there are established plants. You should not use it where you are going to plant seed. It is likely your seed won't come up. You may have to plant nursery plants or start your seedlings in pots then move them to the garden this year.

DR3W
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:35 pm
Location: Gonzales, LA

...oh no!! :shock: guess that's what I get for asking someone in the gardening section in a mainstream home improvement store instead of doin my own learning. learned the hard way on this but, thanks for bringin that to my attention! so established plants will not be harmed by the preen weed preventer, looks like my window sills just got a few new ornaments..

DR3W
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:35 pm
Location: Gonzales, LA

I found this on Preen's site..
maybe I'm not in too much trouble, or am I interpreting that wrong??

""When to Apply

Apply Preen Garden Weed Preventer during the growing season around established plants and transplants. Preen should not be used on flower seeds. It can be used after flowering plants have germinated and are 2-3 inches tall. Preen may also be incorporated into the soil when seeding vegetables or applied after mulching beds. By applying Preen as early as possible, you can eliminate the need for hand-weeding. ""

TZ -OH6
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Info I found is that Preen Garden Weed Preventer is a grass inhibiter so it will leave most of your vegetables alone, but your corn (a big grass) is probably doomed.




I wouldn't worry about the clumpy soil (sounds like most new garden soil). Roots will work around it, and it will get better as the years go on. Don't believe those commercials trying to sell you bags of dirt that tell you everyone's dirt is bad (I just saw one the other day on TV). If you live in the city and your dirt is from a reclaimed gravel parking lot then the bags of dirt can do you some good but if you live in an area surrounded by farms then your dirt is probably pretty good. I'm pretty sure that your soil is all left behind from the Mississippi, and you can't get much better than tha river delta deposits.

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jal_ut
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I looked up the product label and along with grasses it names a host of broadleaved weeds that it controls.

The label also had a long list of cultivated plants that it could be used with. No garden veggie plants on the list.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the active ingredient:

"Trifluralin is a commonly used pre-emergence herbicide. With about 14 million pounds used in the United States in 2001, it is one of the most widely used herbicides.[2] Trifluralin is generally applied to the soil to provide control of a variety of annual grass and broadleaf weed species. It inhibits root development by interrupting mitosis, and thus can control weeds as they germinate.[3]
Trifluralin has been banned in the European Union since 20 March 2008."

All I can say at this point is wait and see if any of your seed germinates.

TZ -OH6
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Wow, I didn't get past the add page. I never thought that they would use Trifloralin on an vegetable garden. I didn't think it was safe to use around edibles.

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GardenRN
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lol....and I thought by having to weed by hand and avoiding herbicides and insecticides I was making things tougher on myself. Here's a mess you don't have to deal with if you grow organically.

Not criticizing DR3W, it's just that all this figuring out what works and what doesn't and wondering what you are putting on your plants and if it's ok to eat. And how long after you apply it it becomes safe to eat. And then wondering what I'm giving my kids to eat...oh boy. It's exactly why I decided to go organic. Best of luck to you! I would consider ordering some worms for your garden (cheap compared to fertilizer) and start composting. Next year you wont need the herbicides and the little weeding you have to do you can do by hand.



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