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Rush, NY

Going with 10 plants (2 will be Squash and one Clone). Three will be in new positions (1600 square feet) that have crossing "Hartman Net" energy bands. Dowsers will understand. Seven years of weeds were plowed down 10 days ago. They were fitted several times, 20 pounds of Calcitic Limestone and 4.5 cubic yards of manure added (see "Black Gold" in photo Gallery), and replowed again. Now each new position will get 1# Borax, 1.5# Grubbex, 3# Ironite, 6# Kelp meal, 7# Calcium Nitrate and 48# of 15-15-15 grandular fertilizer.
The 7 old positions (1200 feet) each got 3.5 yards of "black Gold" last fall and 1/2 yard in the plant areas yesterday. Each OLD position will get 1.5# Grubbex, 4# Kelp meal, 7# Calcium Nitrate, 6# Urea (40% N) and 30 pounds of 15-15-15.
All areas will be subsoiled to a depth of 22 inches before the above items are added.

4/27/2001 9:45:10 AM

southern MN

Wow a pound of Borax, I use 8 ounces per 1,000 feet to kill creeping charlie in my yard and it will brown the grass slightly. Boron (the ingrediant in borax)is a micronutrient and very toxic in large amounts. I have seen one yard where the person overapplied and nothing grew there for three years.

I don't doubt Len decision (he grows pumpkins the size I only dream about)but others considering adding Borax make sure your soil test show you need boron. I am not sure how sensitive AGs are to boron but I remember from somewhere that if your soil test is over .5 ppm you should not need any boron.

Here in Southern MN we are blessed with enough boron in our soils to satisfy the growth of plants and enough clay so it does not leach out.

4/27/2001 2:31:57 PM

Long Island,New York

Len....you forgot to tell us what plants you were planting.... ;) ........Glenn A

4/27/2001 4:37:37 PM

Puyallup, WA

Without doubt, Len, that is the best looking rotted manure I have ever seen!! How old might you think it to be? How did you ever discover such a find?

Stan

4/29/2001 2:09:27 AM

Rush, NY

Wango's concerns about my use of Boron are justified. I first learned about using it for AG pumpkins a few years ago from a Pacific NW grower. After talking to him, I applied 1 pound of Borax per 1000 square feet in 1998, and ended up with a 1056.5 pounder. My "pendulum" says I haven't needed any in my 7 OLD positions since then. It says it would be benificial to add up to 1.5 pounds of Borax for each of my 3 new 1600 square foot positions. I'm going to add 1 pound per position.
My pendulum tells me I would have to add more than 4 pounds of Borax per 1000 square feet of my lawn to affect the grass. Some parts of the world have a lot more boron in the soil than others.

4/30/2001 5:13:41 PM

Long Island,New York

Well,my "Crazy 8-Ball" says I need to get some....I remember Borax as a laundry detergent available up to the 1970's when they outlawed phosphates in laundry detergents here due to ground water contamination concerns...would that BORAX be the same Borax your "pendulum" speaks of?........Glenn A.

4/30/2001 8:13:57 PM

southern MN

In someplaces it is hard to find Borax. In Minnesota I have never seen a box labeled only Borax instead I have seen it labeled as "Twenty Mule Team"

LIpumpkin- Your soils must leach pretty readily if there is a concern with ground water and phosphorus. Here it is surface waters we are concerned with. 1 pound of P in surface water here will result in 500 pounds of algae growth.

5/1/2001 9:19:33 AM

Long Island,New York

Long Island is a Glacial outwash plain...that means its all sands and gravels....some silts etc but VERY VERY sandy washed soil...hard to keep nutrients in until the organic levels get up there.Very little in minerals also due to the major makeup of the sands as silica. Some areas of the island are all "sugar sand" like the ocean beach....yes...many amendments needed to start here....

5/1/2001 11:36:44 AM

Greencastle, PA

LIpumpkin,
I have the exact oppisite soil as you do. My soil is made up almost entirely of clay.

5/1/2001 11:43:22 AM

southern MN

I guess I should clarify, Borax is a company that mines a boron product and the word borax has come to mean most boron products, as like "kleenex" has taken over the word "facial tissue". So Borax can be found not only in the laundry degerent aisle (such as "twenty mule team" which is sodium perborate) but can be found from your fertilizer dealer but they may give it a slightly different name to reflect its use as a soluble or granular product(the main thing you are looking for is boron). When I speak of creeping charlie control I am talking "twenty mule team" but I am using the element boron for the control. I am not sure what form of borax Len is using.

LIpumpkin, your soil would benefit from a boron boost since sandy loams readily leach out the boron even more so if there is alot of irrigation. Start small then start to experiment up from there. All recommendations that I have ever seen are mainly for other crops and they start at about 1 pound per acre. In doubt have your soil tested and go from there. Each plant species has a different tolerance level of boron. I am not sure how tolerant pumpkins are so don't over do it. I think the phrase "slow and steady" really applies here.

Boron is needed by the plant for conversion of carbohydrates and is used by the plant for translocation of water and nutrients from the roots to the leafs. Organic matter (plant matter) will release boron as it decomposes. manure is not a good source of boron, it would take like 20 tons of manure to make one pound of boron.

By no means am I the expert on this subject I just did some research after Len's first posting as it made me curious, so if I have mispoken please correct me.

5/1/2001 2:38:38 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo List,
The recomendations for boron are 2.1 parts per million for pumpkins.I was told not to overdo this as it can be very toxic. Thats all I know.

ALUN

5/1/2001 7:40:42 PM

Greencastle, PA

if boron kills borers, does it efect worms?

5/2/2001 11:40:44 AM

Rush, NY

The Borax I used is "20 Mule Team" bought at Walmart for $2.67 for about 4 pounds. I think Borax contains about 5% boron. Over 50% of Borax is Sodium. The sodium is more likely to kill "Creeping Charlie" than the boron.

5/6/2001 11:54:07 AM

Liverpool , England

That sounds more like it Len

5/6/2001 10:59:08 PM

Long Island,New York

Its been 8 years now...please tell me what squash your growing....

4/21/2009 8:13:39 PM