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here are the hard facts guys. i had two soil tests done this spring. the first more complete one was done by A & L. the second one was through my local extension office. i'm going to retest the pH because there's absolutley NO reason it should be that high. last spring it was 6.4 and last fall after plowing it was 5.6. the only pH altering stuff i added was 12 pounds of Nutralime. plans right now are to add gypsum, nitrogen according to the recommendation, and any organic matter i can find!

test 1..
ph 7.2
OM 2.3
P bray 1 122 bray 2 148
k 597
mg 185
Ca 500
Na 23
CEC 5.7
%k 27
%mg 27.2
%ca 44.1
%Na 1.8

sulfur 12
zinc 34
mang. 35
iron 50
copper .8
boron .6
soluble salts .3


test 2
pH 7.9
OM 2.2
P 165
K 520
Ca 860
Mg 200

4/21/2004 6:56:48 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Brigitte,

Were you careful to take random samplings from all over the patch? It almost looks like you grabbed soil where part of that 12 lbs of lime fell in a lump.

2 low & 2 high really doesn't make sense. And 12 lbs of lime wouldn't move the pH this much over the winter if it had been applied to 10 square feet.

4/21/2004 9:00:57 PM

Indiana

Steve,
Nutralime is fast acting because of the % that goes through a small mesh. It generally adjusts pH in 2-4 weeks. And at very low rates. 250 lbs per acre adjusted a heavy clay soil 1 point from 5.8 to 6.8. Thats something like 5 or 6 lbs per 1000 sq ft. for a 1 point adjustment.

Tom

4/21/2004 9:32:19 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

Test 1 is from a very good soil

4/22/2004 1:38:54 AM

Deer Park WA

The April, the Brig, and the Tom? (Good, Bad, and Ugly)... I have never wasted my time or money on soil tests here, way to many patch modifications to make an accurate test... Sorry Tommy had to poke fun at you as U did say your going "anti Gadberry" this winter, but Pal you are ugly compared to the ladies....

4/22/2004 2:25:08 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

BrigetTe,

I had a high pH and never knew why then I had a test done on my cow manure and it was pH 7.8. that may have nothing to do with your result of course.

4/22/2004 3:35:39 AM

Montoursville, PA

Rule #1 Stay with the same testing lab and look at things over a period of years as the best value to building. There are too many differences in the way labs perform their work.
Knee jerking with two sources of information like this is likely to lead anyone into more difficulty.
Rule #2 When things do not look right go back to the regular tester and seek the reasons for the differences that may mysteriously appear.
Rule#3 Never make a major change based on a second test that is not from the same lab. This is very important if the previous test was showing reasonable ballances.
Rule #4 Although they may not be quite as accurate one can purchase the grower test kits and pull a personal check on the indications of any other test.

4/22/2004 7:04:36 AM

Indiana

Hey! I cant be to ugly, a state record is sexy isnt it ladies? Oh well, as long as I keep growing big pumpkins, I'll stand for being ugly I guess...LOL

Tom

4/22/2004 8:34:34 AM

Deer Park, WI

hey Brig-

I know you used a shovel to collect your soil sample...try using one of the actual sampling probes to get a more accurate sample. That way it will grab dirt each of the horizons in the soil without too much mixing. That may give you a better reading. Even if it is 7.2, a little manure and gypsum should be able to take care of that.

BTW...Very helpful post Gads, im sure Brig found that information as the key to sucess in her soil managment program. I might even apply it in my own patch and see how it works.

4/22/2004 9:07:24 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Tom,

Understood. Is it also hydrated? That would also speed things up.

Was the patch tilled after the liming? If not, then the high & low pH soil layers haven't been incorporated together yet & that alone will flatten things out.

Never take samples within 2 weeks of a fertilizer application. Organics are slower still. So expect all soils to remain "in-flux" what with the rate & frequency in which we all add amendments.

4/22/2004 9:54:45 AM

Steve.....it was tilled after everything was added last fall, and the soil test was the first thing I did this spring. Dug from 5 or 7 random spots, mixed them all together. Then took two samples to send. Is it possible that a few pieces of lime construed the results?

AXC....I did add 5 or 6 yards of cow manure last fall, so maybe it had the same effect that yours did.

Gads and Joe....every time I waste my money on a soil test, then get back weird results, I'm more inclined to just not bother with it...after all, I'm a college student, shouldn't I be wasting my money on beer? ;-)

4/22/2004 11:59:17 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

I looked a bit closer at the numbers and they are similar to mine in some respects,you have high K at 27% and low Calcium at 44% the proportions of the nutrients in test 2 are exactly what you would find in cow manure.Dairy cow is the sort most likely to be alkaline if you included several bits of good looking black stuff in that second sample that could also account for some of the differance in pH. although the o.m. results don't really support this idea.
Just as a matter of interest did your extension office tell you to add lime?

4/22/2004 2:49:18 PM

Long Island,New York

Keep in mind that not too much happens during the winter when the soil is frozen solid.........

4/22/2004 2:59:04 PM

Deer Park WA

Geeze Joze, I forgot that maybe some folks dont know what fertile soil looks like. Maybe you should take a break and think about adding all those chemical/organic additives; Everytime we add anything to the soil it reacts with its base, and it is the balance of the recipe that counts in the end; A soil test will not predict where your additives culminations fall on the pathways to perfection, they only tell of where you are in the culmination of the whole.

Home Ph tests are the best! God Speed fellow growers!

4/27/2004 1:15:06 AM