When I discovered a source of free horse manure a few years back I
started lavishing the manure on my vegetable plot. The result has to
been to create a beautiful black, friable soil. Lovely to work but ,
last year, almost sterile !
All of my root crops, carrots, parsnips, radish, lettuce, brassicas,
even rasberries, which normally grow as a weed, failed. Seedlings
fail to appear. Plants wither and die. Inspection shows that the
roots systems are almost non-existent . I suspect that something is
eating the roots although I cannot see anything. Can anyone suggest
an explanation and a cure ? Have I overdone the manuring ?

wrote in message ...
When I discovered a source of free horse manure a few years back I
started lavishing the manure on my vegetable plot. The result has to
been to create a beautiful black, friable soil. Lovely to work but ,
last year, almost sterile !
All of my root crops, carrots, parsnips, radish, lettuce, brassicas,
even rasberries, which normally grow as a weed, failed. Seedlings
fail to appear. Plants wither and die. Inspection shows that the
roots systems are almost non-existent . I suspect that something is
eating the roots although I cannot see anything. Can anyone suggest
an explanation and a cure ? Have I overdone the manuring ?

A friend did the same with his allotment, and it wasn't very old manure
either, so he also suffered lessening crops. Last year I suggested a good
dose of lime and that has worked wonders (also seems to have cured his slug
problem?).
The old gardeners were always liming their soil and it appears to be
something modern gardeners forget, but it is important if you keep pushing
in compost/manure.
Check the ph of your soil, I bet it's now quite acid.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

Keep in mind that pH of 7 is neutral. Most good plants want it slightly
acidic (6 to 6.5), and some want it more so. Strawberries and blueberries
like acidic soil. Decide what you are going to grow, and adjust your soil
to that. Too much lime and all you will be able to raise is weeds.

Have fun. Dwayne

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

wrote in message ...
When I discovered a source of free horse manure a few years back I
started lavishing the manure on my vegetable plot. The result has to
been to create a beautiful black, friable soil. Lovely to work but ,
last year, almost sterile !
All of my root crops, carrots, parsnips, radish, lettuce, brassicas,
even rasberries, which normally grow as a weed, failed. Seedlings
fail to appear. Plants wither and die. Inspection shows that the
roots systems are almost non-existent . I suspect that something is
eating the roots although I cannot see anything. Can anyone suggest
an explanation and a cure ? Have I overdone the manuring ?

A friend did the same with his allotment, and it wasn't very old manure
either, so he also suffered lessening crops. Last year I suggested a good
dose of lime and that has worked wonders (also seems to have cured his
slug
problem?).
The old gardeners were always liming their soil and it appears to be
something modern gardeners forget, but it is important if you keep pushing
in compost/manure.
Check the ph of your soil, I bet it's now quite acid.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

And you have to leave 6 months between adding lime and adding manure, or
something like that.

"Dwayne" wrote in message
...
Keep in mind that pH of 7 is neutral. Most good plants want it slightly
acidic (6 to 6.5), and some want it more so. Strawberries and blueberries
like acidic soil. Decide what you are going to grow, and adjust your soil
to that. Too much lime and all you will be able to raise is weeds.

Have fun. Dwayne

"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

wrote in message ...
When I discovered a source of free horse manure a few years back I
started lavishing the manure on my vegetable plot. The result has to
been to create a beautiful black, friable soil. Lovely to work but ,
last year, almost sterile !
All of my root crops, carrots, parsnips, radish, lettuce, brassicas,
even rasberries, which normally grow as a weed, failed. Seedlings
fail to appear. Plants wither and die. Inspection shows that the
roots systems are almost non-existent . I suspect that something is
eating the roots although I cannot see anything. Can anyone suggest
an explanation and a cure ? Have I overdone the manuring ?

A friend did the same with his allotment, and it wasn't very old manure
either, so he also suffered lessening crops. Last year I suggested a
good
dose of lime and that has worked wonders (also seems to have cured his
slug
problem?).
The old gardeners were always liming their soil and it appears to be
something modern gardeners forget, but it is important if you keep
pushing
in compost/manure.
Check the ph of your soil, I bet it's now quite acid.

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

"Dwayne" wrote in message
Keep in mind that pH of 7 is neutral. Most good plants want it slightly
acidic (6 to 6.5), and some want it more so. Strawberries and blueberries
like acidic soil. Decide what you are going to grow, and adjust your soil
to that. Too much lime and all you will be able to raise is weeds.


Quite right Dwayne, if your soil is showing a ph of 6.5 up to 7. then that's
OK, most things should grow well, don't use any lime and you will need to
look elsewhere for your problem. But I doubt that is the case from what you
say.
Some types of plants prefer a more acid soil (blueberries demand it) and
others, like all brassicas, want a more alkaline soil which is why, on a
rotation basis, it's the brassica bed that gets limed and that bed is then
used for spuds the next season etc.
The type of soil also changes the amount of lime needed, clay needs more
than sandy.

Has anyone else noticed a reduction in ground slugs after liming like my
friend?

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.

SLUGS. You made an interesting point that I have never even considered.
They were always a bother in my strawberry bed (ph 6 to 6.5). I had to
treat it often to keep them down. I would have never associated their
presence with the pH level. Thanks.

Dwayne





"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Dwayne" wrote in message
Keep in mind that pH of 7 is neutral. Most good plants want it slightly
acidic (6 to 6.5), and some want it more so. Strawberries and
blueberries
like acidic soil. Decide what you are going to grow, and adjust your
soil
to that. Too much lime and all you will be able to raise is weeds.


Quite right Dwayne, if your soil is showing a ph of 6.5 up to 7. then
that's
OK, most things should grow well, don't use any lime and you will need to
look elsewhere for your problem. But I doubt that is the case from what
you
say.
Some types of plants prefer a more acid soil (blueberries demand it) and
others, like all brassicas, want a more alkaline soil which is why, on a
rotation basis, it's the brassica bed that gets limed and that bed is then
used for spuds the next season etc.
The type of soil also changes the amount of lime needed, clay needs more
than sandy.

Has anyone else noticed a reduction in ground slugs after liming like my
friend?

--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.