Hey guys, first post here.
I have 3 raised beds (2 are 8'x4'x1.75') and the other one is in the shape of a U and is about 96 ft^2. I bought a 50% soil 50% organic shellfish compost mix last year and planted without adding anything. My garden did great! This year I wanted to boost the soil so I added some spanghum peat moss (kind of regret that), blood meal and some compost/humus mixed bags and tilled it into the top 8" of soil. (I am by no means an expert at gardening, still learning the ropes).
I bought a soil test kit and tested the soil and the PH looks to be 7.0, the Nitrogen may be a little low, and the Phosphorous and Potassium (Potash) is very low.
I plan on transplanting my veggies this week but didnt know if I should ammend the soil to get some P-K in there before planting?
I don't want to put much and overestimate because it might hurt the veggies, but what should I do? Can I mix something in right before I plant which will help root and flower growth without creating an abundance?
Raised Bed Soil Test
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While I am not a fan of the purchased soil tests, the rapid test is the best which is not a professional soil test. It gives you a good idea. If it were me, I would add a balanced fertilizer like a 10-10-10 or 12-12-12, whichever is available. This mixture will be a good start and then you can add nutrients as they may be needed during the year as the plants' needs would indicate.
If you are opposed to regular fertilizer, I would add in nutrients of your choice to get started. You should be OK. As indicated I would spring for a professional soil test next year (about $10) and the lab will give recommendations to bring everything into balance.
If you are opposed to regular fertilizer, I would add in nutrients of your choice to get started. You should be OK. As indicated I would spring for a professional soil test next year (about $10) and the lab will give recommendations to bring everything into balance.
I didnt want to add too much nitrogen as I already put a bag of blood meal and some manure/humus tilled into the soil, so I was contemplating adding some bone meal and kelp meal only... is that ok?
Can I add all that right before transplanting? Will it affect my newly established veggies?
I was considering srpinkling blood meal into my lettuce/spinach/swiss chard bed, or working it into the soil between the planted rows if that is ok?
I bought the test on a whim.. saw it for $4 and thought it would be a good idea to check the soil.
Can I add all that right before transplanting? Will it affect my newly established veggies?
I was considering srpinkling blood meal into my lettuce/spinach/swiss chard bed, or working it into the soil between the planted rows if that is ok?
I bought the test on a whim.. saw it for $4 and thought it would be a good idea to check the soil.
I agree, springing for a soil test at your local extension service is a good thing to do. Peat moss is provides good root support, but it does not contain a lot of nutrients. Blood meal is relatively fast (for organic nitrogen). Compost helps boost the soil microbiota but it is poor on actual NPK averaging less than 1% in all the major nutrients. Organic works best if you add it in about 6 months before you actually need it since it takes time to be broken down by the soil organisms into useful nutrients which may take up to two years to become fully available. It is why organic farmers must constantly add organics every year and why it takes 2-3 years for an organic garden to get into full swing. If you start with good soil to start with, you will be using the nutrients from that soil the first year, but will not necessarily have enough to carry forward depending on what you are planting. Cover crops with legumes will help to replenish some of the nitrogen, but it works best if you till it in at flowering and not consume it.
Nitrogen is a volatile nutrient so it always needs to be added in some amounts. Ammoniacal nitrogen is more readily available than bound nitrogen which is what you find in animal proteins. Bone meal is a good source of phosphorus and greensand is a good source of potassium. Nitrogen is usually your limiting factor of growth in organics. You can use manures but only half the nitrogen on the label at most will be available with the rest being released slowly over time ( up to two years). You can supplement with fish emulsion on a weekly basis.
I am not a fan of organic fertilizers myself. I like big plants and better production without having to add 200 lbs of organic compost and fertilizer every year. I do add organics and add compost (even though it contains phosphorus I don't need and has a pH of 8.13 which I don't like.) I do however use sulfate of ammonia for nitrogen in divided increments. It is all I need based on my soil test. I did use peat moss the last time on one of my gardens the last time since the pH had risen to 7.8. Peat moss works better than sulfur in reducing pH. I also till in crop residues. I only add complete fertilizer to my potted plants.
I commend you for wanting to be organic and many people find it is the way to go, but it takes time to build up the soil food web and you constantly have to feed it. Organic components have low NPK and it takes time to release. They are also not a guaranteed analysis since it will vary from batch to batch. That is why it is good to have a standard soil test done for pH and nutrients because if you ask they will give you recommendations for organic inputs and tell you how much compost, manure, bonemeal, or greensand, you need to add. And it is best to add it early, not right before you plan to use it and you may still have to supplement with weekly feedings of fish emulsion.
Nitrogen is a volatile nutrient so it always needs to be added in some amounts. Ammoniacal nitrogen is more readily available than bound nitrogen which is what you find in animal proteins. Bone meal is a good source of phosphorus and greensand is a good source of potassium. Nitrogen is usually your limiting factor of growth in organics. You can use manures but only half the nitrogen on the label at most will be available with the rest being released slowly over time ( up to two years). You can supplement with fish emulsion on a weekly basis.
I am not a fan of organic fertilizers myself. I like big plants and better production without having to add 200 lbs of organic compost and fertilizer every year. I do add organics and add compost (even though it contains phosphorus I don't need and has a pH of 8.13 which I don't like.) I do however use sulfate of ammonia for nitrogen in divided increments. It is all I need based on my soil test. I did use peat moss the last time on one of my gardens the last time since the pH had risen to 7.8. Peat moss works better than sulfur in reducing pH. I also till in crop residues. I only add complete fertilizer to my potted plants.
I commend you for wanting to be organic and many people find it is the way to go, but it takes time to build up the soil food web and you constantly have to feed it. Organic components have low NPK and it takes time to release. They are also not a guaranteed analysis since it will vary from batch to batch. That is why it is good to have a standard soil test done for pH and nutrients because if you ask they will give you recommendations for organic inputs and tell you how much compost, manure, bonemeal, or greensand, you need to add. And it is best to add it early, not right before you plan to use it and you may still have to supplement with weekly feedings of fish emulsion.