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amendment shelf life

13 years ago

Hi I have added organic amendments to my compost this year. I allowed the compost to cook for about a month and then added it to my garden which will lay fallow until next spring covered by straw. I added greensand to the garden directly (the appropriate amount for the sq footage) and a small amount to the compost for the microbiology.
I also added 3 lbs of store bought chicken manure about a pound or maybe two of blood/bone meal, some prilled dolomite lime (directly to garden not the compost) and a small, I think 3 lb container of MYKE's mycorrhizae also directly to the garden bed, not to mention the store bought cow manure, worm castings and store bought compost.

My question is..will all of this be sufficient to feed my garden through next season or will I need to add some more amendments in the spring before planting my vegetables? I may have wasted my money on the mycorrhizae due to the lack of plant roots to colonize and I'm not sure how long greensand stays around for. I shouldn't have to add anymore dolomite lime.

I don't want to risk adding anything extra next spring and wind up burning my plants or on the other hand have all of my amendments get washed away by rain this year, not add anymore out of fear next year thinking that my amendments are still in the soil.

Just incase anyone is wondering why I added all this stuff so early its because i had some really sandy soil that I wanted to condition into a healthy food web, allowing enough time to build solid microbial life and well rotted organic matter.

Any advice? am I good for next season or should I be getting some more amendments for the spring?

P.S amendments were added at the end of may or early June this season.

Comments (5)

  • 13 years ago

    The only way to know what that soil has for pH, P, K, Ca, and Mg is with a good reliable soil test. Along with that test you could also use these to get more information.
    1) Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

    2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drainsâ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

    3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

    4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

    5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

  • 13 years ago

    Some stuff you've added is volatile depending on the amount of carbon in your soil, the amount of Fe/Al/Ca in your soil, how cold your winters are, how much was applied over the area, and the general mineral portion/activity in your soil.

    Much of the N content you've added is NH4 heavy. If you have cold winters a lot will stick around in the soil if applied in the fall...especially with cover left on the soil. Seeing as you added it in May/June...a good portion of it will be lost to the atmosphere or leaching by next spring. That said, I have no idea based on what you said how much you may have over or under applied your N sources.

    The P content will rely heavily on how much Al/Fe/Ca exchangable content you have in your soil. If there's a lot, a good chunk could be rendered precipitated because of how it complexes with Al/Fe/Ca even in the absence of plant uptake.

    Most of the K content should be fine, especially with your choice of amendments.

    Long story short...it's hard-to-impossible to tell you if things are going to be okay with those amendments without knowing about your native soils, how much was applied over how big of an area, and your rainfall/watering + temperature.

    If there's a question...plant...watch...amend where/when necessary with the quickest "fix" you can get a hold of. Blood meal is a quick/efficient N fix...which I imagine might be your biggest issue come spring.

  • 13 years ago

    thanks nccrn that was a little more helpful.

  • 13 years ago

    OK - your subject title is confusing :-) 'Shelf life' generally refers to a product's lifespan on the shelf........not when used as intended.

    Regardless of the extent of your current nutrient load at the start of the growing season, adding other organic amendments (like compost, composted or aged manures worm castings, etc.) is unlikely to cause any burning - that is more a result of synthetic chemical fertilization or using too fresh manures.

    I would encourage you in planting a winter cover crop rather than leaving your garden fallow. While covering with straw will help with some of the erosion and leaching, a cover crop will extend those benefits plus add to soil nutrient levels - primarily N - and encourage a healthy soil biology.

  • 13 years ago

    Thanks, and yes I should have though out the thread title a little first. I'll sow some rye today I think. I guess the straw mulch won't be needed with rye growing correct?