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Soil Preparation and Analysis

Subject:  Do you TEST your COMPOST? You should!

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WiZZy

President - GPC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy1DC6Euqj4

Would you put this MUCK in your patch? It'Z one year old horse manure. Not in my patch no more....! Dont need no stinkin KDL>!

Ph 7.6
In PPM's
Phos 290
K - 5056 15,168 pounds per acre
S - 191
CA - 3000
Mg - 562
Na - 789 2,367 pounds per acre
Z - 19.6 59 pounds per acre
Cu 4.4
Mn - 29
Iron 41
Boron 4.1

12/19/2012 1:43:46 PM

WiZZy

President - GPC

This manure haZ been screwing my soil tests up for yearZ... here I thought I was doing the right thing... but all along, it haZ been the problem.

12/19/2012 3:33:31 PM

Pumpking

Germany

WiZzy, I wouldn´t worry too much about the 19.6 ppm zinc (my patch soil has more zinc than your manure) and the sodium (as it will get washed out earlier than some of the other cations), but potassium is pretty hight indeed. Don´t curse that stuff, even thought it might have become a curse against your patch. For those who need to add more K it could be great stuff. Just imagine one starts with patch soil K-level 150 ppm, then add a half inch layer of that manure, till it in (depth maybe 6 inch), the final K-level should be somewhere around 550 ppm. Heaps of that great stuff every year might have been too much, I agree.
Did you add this manure year by year? If so, did your annual soil test respond to the particularly high K additions?

12/19/2012 4:10:54 PM

WiZZy

President - GPC

Yes I did, in an attempt to break up my calcareous soil...high in... guess what K.

How many growerZ spend 45$ to test there composted manure?

12/19/2012 5:13:00 PM

swaintech

churchville, ny

Wiz - this is a post I ran about 2 years ago - thought I'd put it out again for general info.

These are the numbers from 1 year old leaf mulch compost - looks like a black crumbly soil.(Many maple trees in this area). WHAT DO YOU THINK? Present pH is 7.3, OM is 4.3 I'm adding 15 yards to 6400 square feet. Grew 1338 lb. in 2010

pH 8.1 I thought composted leaves lowered pH
buffer pH 7.4
OM 35.7%
N 37 ppm
P 237
K 2317
Ca 9824
Mg 1377
boron 12
manganese 19
zinc 5
copper 0
iron 2
sulfur 159

CEC 115 K=9, Mg=17, Ca=74

12/19/2012 6:53:18 PM

North Shore Boyz

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Wiz..you and the Biz and the other Boyz have had many good years at the home patches and at Jared's....I wouldn't change a thing!!

12/19/2012 9:23:17 PM

The WiZ

little-TON, Colorado

45$ for a test???? Analysis of a quality compost is usually avaliable from who you bought it from.

12/19/2012 9:37:16 PM

steffff

North of FRANCE

Seems to be 45 euros here.... !!!!

12/20/2012 5:04:49 AM

Pumpking

Germany

This year I had sent my sample off to the US, to the labs which have the "A" and "L" in their name, and the test (organic matter, N, K, Ca, Mg, Na, P, S, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, B, pH...and calculated CEC and % cation saturation) including graphics report was 36$. Even with the postage for shipping, it´s still cheaper than the 45 Euros (which was about the same I had paid last year for a similar test in Germany).

12/20/2012 5:35:11 AM

WiZZy

President - GPC

The test waZ worth every cent I think.. I have been dumping this year old plus composted horse on in copius amountZ...mixing it with leaveZ... never really 'knowing' what I waZ adding. My soil testZ where being mislead by thiZ compost.. Tweaking my resultZ in a different direction. And I was adding my compost wrong as well.

Take Soil test, wait for resultZ....

One should till, then add ammendments, then till again. Of course the weather alwasyZ cooperateZ...lol I thought I waZ diligent it getting proper representation of soil sampleZ..
Obviously doing it wrong... but now I know better...and thiZ will change thingZ.

And thatZ the important part.....

12/20/2012 10:26:48 AM

WiZZy

President - GPC

North Shore BoyZ.... I look at aZ...yes we had good yearZ inZpite of thiZ...the last two yearZ have not been good...and not up to my expectationZ... That iZ whatZ going to change! Know I know what haZ been crankin by Potassium....and my Ph...
All thiZ time I thought my Ph was 7.4-7.6.... come to realiZe itZ really 6.8 without the compost... thatZ big! The compost did help in changing my structure of soil, but not my balance.

12/20/2012 10:31:52 AM

cojoe

Colorado

Wiz saved me 45 dollars.My Compost pile is from the same horses- Ha....

12/20/2012 1:25:54 PM

WiZZy

President - GPC

Now we knowZ whatZ been holdin uZ back huh CoJoe...lol

12/20/2012 2:46:50 PM

WiZZy

President - GPC

Do they give horZses Potassium pillZ? And where the Boron come from? Hay and Grasses are high in K granted, salt, understandable...Calcium.. and the OM on this was only 5.5? Odd

12/20/2012 2:50:36 PM

WiZZy

President - GPC

I got 0-20-5000 beatZ KDL !

12/20/2012 3:31:44 PM

curtlave (team extreme)

Sourthern Utah

wiz,, thats probably why our K and Mg is high as well, horse stuff the last few years,, wow,, thankz fer your post,, thoughts to ponder fer sure

12/20/2012 3:35:57 PM

pg3

Lodi, California

holy $&!# literally. 5000 ppm on k!

12/28/2012 7:37:32 PM

joe w

Minnesota

I Think the horse manure looks good if used in moderation. maybe some mgso4 to help balance

12/28/2012 10:39:35 PM

joe w

Minnesota

I've tested my cow manure compost too. Was very similar to the leaf compost listed above but was around 250 ppm n and 2000 ppm calcium. Ph around 7.5

12/28/2012 10:50:25 PM

pg3

Lodi, California

you should sell that as fertilizer

12/29/2012 1:21:52 PM

Total Posts: 20 Current Server Time: 11/27/2024 8:23:28 PM
 
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