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Ontario, Canada.

A rainy Saturday has me reading once again and searching for an answer to this dilemma. I stumbled upon an article while researching the plants uptake of Boron and its affect if any upon BES. The answer seams to have come from a search about competitive soil cations. If the high OM soils are causing the problem and resulting in decreased uptake of calcium by competitive nitrogen ions. Why then would it not make sense to increase the soils CEC by adding clay. The additional capacity would theoretically help to the bind the existing ca while allowing room for the summer bloom of Nitrogen released by the beneficials as the soil temperatures rise in the warmer months.

We have often thought that CEC levels of 20% or greater are more than adequate to accomplish the job. However we are now learning that in soils pushd to far organically above the 10% OM level that BES is often a very big factor. Levels of CEC 30% and higher may help to reduce such problems.

A Clay soils CEC capacity 25-50 of milliequivalents per 100 cubic centimeters. The significance of CEC in practical terms is that it slows the rate of leaching of Ca & B cations while the nitrogen accumulates in the additional clay.

3/24/2007 6:51:51 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I then remembered a trip to Adrian Gervais, Blueberry farm a few years ago. I asked him about the wood chip mulch he had stored in 40 and 50' high piles. He commented about it being for the blueberries. Well I mentioned that I thought Nitrogen would be tied-up by the wood chips.

I started thinking about ways to tie-up my soil nitrogen and now you know the rest of the story. Even better than wood chips Clay, Calcined & Kitty litter is one way of accomplishing this goal rather quickly.

3/24/2007 7:15:10 PM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

Russ
What about bentonite?

3/24/2007 8:49:39 PM

Ontario, Canada.

John, yes it would be acceptable. I was also going to suggest perlite and vermiculite too.

3/24/2007 9:21:11 PM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

As we have discuss, I am on heavy Clay soil. The 2005 soil test, I was at 8% om and 30 CEC. I experianced several BES that year. In the fall I added copious ammounts of Mushroom compost. This brought my OM to 10% and my CEC to 37.2. Last year i had no BES. I also used a foiliar fertilizer once a week containing Boron. My Calcium also increased year over year. Some of this could be in random variance. I'm Looking forward to this years soil test

3/24/2007 9:58:29 PM

Phoenix, AZ

Glad we are talking more about B. From my own research, I feel it plays a large role but generally it gets forgotten because adequate amounts are in our high OM's. Note I said adequate amounts not correct amounts. I supplement B.

3/25/2007 10:04:48 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Ben, B. plays a very important roll in BES. I believe my soil is also adequate for B. I have used Calci-max with Boron the last two by foliar with little postive results. It's just that my plants are not able to pull it from the soil.

3/25/2007 10:14:45 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Sorry guys, what is BES?

3/25/2007 4:26:45 PM

maine USA

blossum end split?

3/25/2007 7:30:56 PM

yup

3/25/2007 8:31:14 PM