Getting some new planting beds ready for a fall planting I have stripped the old (crab) grass added some 50/50 top soil/compost. I don't want to use Osmocote but rather a organic "fert" if that is the correct term to even use. What products do you recommend, how often & when do i apply??? Thanks for the help...
Depends on existing mineral content of soil and what you will be planting. • Ideal soils, from a fertility standpoint, are generally defined as containing no more than 5% OM by weight or 10% by volume • Before you add organic amendments to your garden, have your soil tested to determine its OM content and nutrient levels • Be conservative with organic amendments; add only what is necessary to correct deficiencies and maintain OM at ideal levels • Do not incorporate organic amendments into landscapes destined for permanent installations; topdress with mulch instead • Abnormally high levels of nutrients can have negative effects on plant and soil health • Any nutrients not immediately utilized by microbes or plants contribute to non-point source pollution http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda ...ltural Myths_files/Myths/Compost overdose.pdf
Thank you Ron for saying that. Becuase organic gardening has become progressively more fashionable, many people think that just adding more and more organic material is all you need to do to have a good garden. The real benefit of organic material is that it releases nutrients as it decomposes. But plants only need so much and in many cases would prefer a stable, well drained mineral soil to grow roots in.
I agree with Ron in most areas but he did not mention the thing that makes the fertilizers and the other nutrients work. A well ballanced soil has to have a complete spectrum of needed soil biology to work properly. What soil amendments you use should have live biology and the trace elements need to be in a plant available form (chelate). One thing we all have to keep in mind is that the temperature zone you live in makes a big difference in how you look at organics. I live in zone 9 so the amount and times we have to add organics is much greater than say a zone 6 area.
