On 13 Feb 2012 19:32:04 GMT, JakeD wrote:

Hi all, I just did a soil test on my newly created veggie beds.

Here is the result:
Alkalinity: pH 8.0
Nitrogen: sufficient to slightly surplus
Potash: deficient

...and then there was the Phosphorous test which is the puzzling one! The
liquid was supposed to turn blue, to a greater or lesser degree, but it
didn't! It turned a very pale amber (the colour of the average lager or
cider). What does this indicate? Extreme phosphorous deficiency??

The test kit is called a "Mini Soil Test Kit", containing four vials, each
with a different clour cap, and two each of four different chemical (each
in a capsule, which you pull in two and add content to the liquid in the
vial).

I followed the instructions to the letter. My soil is somewhat clayey and
sandy and has had a fair bit of last years compost dug into it.

What is the cheapest way to add potash and phosphorous (assuming I need
it)?

Thank you,

Jake

You've got a funny mix of soil there - clay and sand, soils are
usually one or the other, unless the sand has been added maybe?

Clay soil will usually be pH 7 or lower - tending toward the acid.
Chalky soils are the alkaline ones, unless lime has been added maybe?
Has builders' sand been dug in perhaps? This will tend to upset the pH
balance, unlike horticultural sand.

What was growing there before you created the veg patch? The results
of your tests just don't seem right. Chemical soil test kits often
have a use by date on them - does yours and it is past? I'd place a
bet on the kit delivering faulty results. I'm not a believer in them,
to be honest. Soil pH testing's one thing but as far as everything
else is concerned, I play "by ear". Deficiencies of various things
will show in specific ways and you can react to them quite easily.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay where
the four seasons are salt,pepper,mustard and vinegar.