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San Diego

I just got back my soil report. Any help is appreciated.

Organic matter 6.3%
N- 182
P-219
P weak bray- 156
Potassium- 987
Mag- 579
Ca- 1983
Sodium- 277
Sulfer-436
Zinc- 9.6
Manganese- 4
Iron- 13
Copper- 1.7
boron- 2.2
Percent cation saturation
Potassium- 12.9
mag- 24.4
Ca 50.6
Sodium-6.2

CEC 19.6
PH 6.6
ECe (dS/m) salinity 5.3! ouch

My salts went from 2.2 to 5.3 in one season! what happened? My water? Just used water soluble 20-20-20 & 5-10-40 with fish and seaweed. Will this salt level be ok? or not? I was just told to add gypsom to bring up calcium. any other advice is greatly appreciated. Jim

9/26/2003 2:49:28 PM

[email protected]

Gypsum will leach those salts too. Don't worry about the salts. They'll leach over the winter. It would be nice to bring up that OM a bit. Personally, I'd use a little lime (25lbs per 1000) as well. That pH can be safely brought up a little.

Steve

9/26/2003 6:42:41 PM

Puyallup, WA

I agree with Steve! Besides, AG's are very salt tolerant.

9/26/2003 6:49:24 PM

San Diego

My microsprinklers were totally covered with white from my water at the end of my season. I think our water in San Diego is terrible. Just to make sure, limestone, ironite, or composted manure, are any of them going to add more salts to my soil or are they ok to ammend this fall? Thanks for the help, Jim

9/26/2003 7:39:07 PM

Key West, FL

I would add some lime too to bring the PH up some. Any composting organic matter will bring the PH down some so a little lime would be good. I would test again in the spring and see how much the salt level has dropped, if hasn't dropped enough you can run a sprinkler on it for a day or two. I know a grower who had to do this and it worked for them. I would be very cautious with the fertilizers you use in the future and the salt content. This could become a big problem in the future. I don't know too much about the other stuff.

9/26/2003 7:42:05 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Do you have a water conditioner in the house? I be worried about the water adding salts when you were trying to leach it out...I would raise the OM up a bit so you don't have to "salt" water as often and start collecting rain water. Manure could raise salt unless well composted.

9/27/2003 6:49:38 AM