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

On Feb 13, 7:32*pm, 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


I'd check the package and see if you can contact the firm making the
kit, could be faulty,

Dave Hill wrote in news:e5aa83eb-7e22-44b6-
:

I'd check the package and see if you can contact the firm making the
kit, could be faulty,

Thanks for the suggestion. I got it on eBay - it may be way past it's
shelf-life.

Jake

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.

On 13/02/2012 19:32, 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??

Dunno, but I would hazard a guess that the indicator they used preferred
adsorbing onto the clay particles to staying in solution.

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)?

In a clay soil I probably wouldn't worry too much about supposed
nutrient deficiencies in a test kit. The test only measures easily
soluble components, but a lot of the goodness of the soil is locked up
in very fine clay particles which plants roots can gradually access.

Cheapest way to add some potash is the ashes from a bonfire or wood
burning stove. No coal or CCA treated timber though! A bit of unburnt
charcoal does not harm either - onions seem to love it on clay soils.

(Coal ash contains to much boron which is bad for plants and heavy
metals that are bad for us)

You probably don't want the more obvious and expensive garden centre
potassium nitrate since you are already surplus in nitrogen.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Feb 13, 9:29*pm, Jake Nospam@invalid wrote:
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.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Builders "sand" is somtimes crushed limestone (ie from the quarry
rather than the sea/gravel pit). Has a dramatic effect on ph
obviously. If the grains of sand are all the one colour it's probably
is just that.
Dunno about the phosphorous.

Jake Nospam@invalid wrote in news:2lvij7du0lql49qhbpgigkl1hbggr25ide@
4ax.com:

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.



Thanks. I'm in the dark about the history of the plot. I do know that the
substrate is white limestone, shale and sandy grit, intermixed with clay
(as quite common in coastal regions, I think). Most of the topsoil
contained lots of small to large flat white limestone rocks. I found one
place where there was old builing rubble under the topsoil, such as pieces
of lime mortar. When I acquired the plot, a couple of years ago, the
'garden' in question looked exactly like a typical farmer's field: long
grass of various kinds, including couch grass. It has probably been used
for grazing animals at some stage in its long history.

I'm surprised to hear you say that clay soils are usually tending towards
acid. I don't think that's the case in my area, because of all the
limestone.

I may be worrying too much about the nutrient content. I did plant a few
vegetables last year: tomatoes and beans and broccili, and they grew
perfectly healthily. Weeds absolutely LOVE the soil here. There is one weed
(something edible, and related to celery, I'm told), with very deep
tuberous roots, that I have been at war with constantly. The roots go so
deep that it is almost impossible to dig them out. My latest battle-plan
has been to use weed killer. We'll see if that works.

JakeD

Martin Brown wrote in
:

On 13/02/2012 19:32, 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??

Dunno, but I would hazard a guess that the indicator they used
preferred adsorbing onto the clay particles to staying in solution.

Following the instructions, I addeda measured amount fo the soil to water,
shook it for a measured time and then let the water settle for a measured
period, before adding the solution to the vials. I don't think there was
much solid matter in the water - unless it was microscopic particles. The
solution looked almost clear, if somewhat murky.

In a clay soil I probably wouldn't worry too much about supposed
nutrient deficiencies in a test kit. The test only measures easily
soluble components, but a lot of the goodness of the soil is locked up
in very fine clay particles which plants roots can gradually access.

Yes, I wondered about that. As I said to Jake a moment ago, weeds
absolutely love the soil. So did the broccili and tomatoes I planted last
year.

Cheapest way to add some potash is the ashes from a bonfire or wood
burning stove. No coal or CCA treated timber though! A bit of unburnt
charcoal does not harm either - onions seem to love it on clay soils.

Thanks. I will add some. I gather potash is good for beans, because it
promotes flowering.

JakeD

In article ,
says...


I may be worrying too much about the nutrient content.

Rain will leach out nutrients over time, and plants take them up; so
they are a diminishing resource and to keep cropping the same soil
gardeners have to replace the lost nutrients.
There is no instant, lasting one-off solution, look on it as a permanent
program of soil improvement.To redress the stony alkaline soil you have
I'd recommend copious amounts of homemade compost (which tends towards
acidic); so start thinking where you can obtain large amounts of vegetable
matter and manure to make it with.

I did plant a few
vegetables last year: tomatoes and beans and broccili, and they grew
perfectly healthily. Weeds absolutely LOVE the soil here. There is one weed
(something edible, and related to celery, I'm told), with very deep
tuberous roots, that I have been at war with constantly. The roots go so
deep that it is almost impossible to dig them out. My latest battle-plan
has been to use weed killer. We'll see if that works.

I'd suggest you build a compost heap and to fill it, keep cropping the
"celery like" topgrowth hard. Constantly frustrating photosynthesis will
eventually cause the roots to die in situ.

I'd be very wary of trusting that particular kind of unidentified weed
to be safely edible; " tuberous root and celery look" includes some of
the most poisonous.

Janet.

Bonemeal is a relatively cheap way of adding phosphorus (correct spelling), and is slow release. Bones contain a lot of calcium phosphate. Also contains some nitrogen.

A really cheap method is to water the garden with grey water collected from your clothes washing machine, because there are phosphates in washing powder. Though this is not slow release.

Bonemeal is a relatively cheap way of adding phosphorus (correct
spelling), and is slow release. *Bones contain a lot of calcium
phosphate. *Also contains some nitrogen.



And if you have Foxes around they will dig like mad trying to find the
meat.

On 14/02/2012 11:21, Janet wrote:

I'd be very wary of trusting that particular kind of unidentified weed
to be safely edible; " tuberous root and celery look" includes some of
the most poisonous.

I think that Socrates might agree with you...

--

Jeff

In article , lid
says...

On 14/02/2012 11:21, Janet wrote:

I'd be very wary of trusting that particular kind of unidentified weed
to be safely edible; " tuberous root and celery look" includes some of
the most poisonous.

I think that Socrates might agree with you...

Bit late now! Too bad he wasn't a keen urgler.
Janet.

Dave Hill wrote in news:9d1a56a3-8fa0-4383-
:

Bonemeal is a relatively cheap way of adding phosphorus (correct
spelling), and is slow release. *Bones contain a lot of calcium
phosphate. *Also contains some nitrogen.



And if you have Foxes around they will dig like mad trying to find the
meat.


I'm glad you mentioned that! (I have LOADS of foxes in my vicinity)!

Jake

Janet wrote in
:

In article ,
says...


I may be worrying too much about the nutrient content.

Rain will leach out nutrients over time, and plants take them up;
so
they are a diminishing resource and to keep cropping the same soil
gardeners have to replace the lost nutrients.
There is no instant, lasting one-off solution, look on it as a
permanent program of soil improvement.To redress the stony alkaline
soil you have I'd recommend copious amounts of homemade compost (which
tends towards acidic); so start thinking where you can obtain large
amounts of vegetable matter and manure to make it with.

Thanks for the tip. Luckily I have an abundant source of free hoss poo.
There is about one ton of it currently composting in t'garden. When I dig
it in to t'veggie patch next autumn, I will start a new compost heap for
the following year.


I did plant a few
vegetables last year: tomatoes and beans and broccili, and they grew
perfectly healthily. Weeds absolutely LOVE the soil here. There is
one weed (something edible, and related to celery, I'm told), with
very deep tuberous roots, that I have been at war with constantly.
The roots go so deep that it is almost impossible to dig them out. My
latest battle-plan has been to use weed killer. We'll see if that
works.

I'd suggest you build a compost heap and to fill it, keep cropping
the
"celery like" topgrowth hard. Constantly frustrating photosynthesis
will eventually cause the roots to die in situ.

It hasn't happened yet, after two years of hacking the root with a mattock
every time one rears it's pretty green head! I will keep hacking though.

I'd be very wary of trusting that particular kind of unidentified
weed
to be safely edible; " tuberous root and celery look" includes some
of the most poisonous.

Luckily, it seems to be the non-poisionous! I took my friend's word that it
was edible, and ate a pice of stem and leaves with no ill effect. I was
going to see if the roots are cookable and palatable. If so I'll treat them
with less animosity!

JakeD