Software
Houzz Logo Print
lightningbug_gw

New Soil. Need Amendments.

15 years ago

I just completed my first soil test for pH, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium and am looking for advice on amendments for my soil.

I'm working with a clay soil. I've added about an inch of compost from my local city facility and plan to add more to help with soil structure. My tests show I have a slightly acidic soil (somewhere between 7 and 6) and virtually no nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.

This will be my third year raising a vegetable garden on the mentioned ground. I've got powdered lime to lower my pH. My question is should I add a mixed fertilizer or should I seek out soil amendments for each specific nutrient?

Thanks in advance!

Comments (3)

  • 15 years ago

    This was a home soil test kit, right? I am making that assumption because a professional test would be more specific with respect to the test results PLUS it would make recommendations to address any deficiencies.

    Home test kits for nutrient levels are notoriously inaccurate - you might as well just throw that out the window! You could have a professional soil test done if you feel the need (your county extension service can help you out with that), but it may not be necessary.

    Piedmont soils tend to be quite fertile and relatively acidic. I might retest for pH, as that could be a limiting factor. Home test kits for that are pretty good as long as you use distilled water in the testing solution. And you should be able to come up with a tighter range - a full 1.0 swing represents a 10-fold change in acidity and with pH, that's a lot. A good target for the vast majority of plants is 6.3-6.8 but I wouldn't bother liming unless it registered much less than 6.0. Above 7.0, I'd consider applying sulfur to lower pH.

    How have the plants grown in this area in previous seasons? If you've had problems, then a professional soil test may be appropriate and it will indicate what types of amendments you will need to apply. If they have done OK or relatively well, then I'd just add more compost (2-3 inches more) and call it good. Compost will improve the soil structure, help with better drainage, stimulate populations of soil organisms, moderate soil pH and increase fertility.

  • 15 years ago

    Thanks for the advice.

    I did test with a home kit. I was very surprised by the results. Based on the past two growing season the ground seemed fertile; last year we bagged 30+ quarts of beans, though the tomatoes, potatoes, and onions didn't grow as well as in the previous year. According to my test kit the soil seemed like it was nearly void of any nutrients; which didn't match up with the past two growing season's yield.

    I've never really added a whole lot to the soil, just a little fertilizer or lime here and there. This is the first year I've added compost to the soil. I'm adding compost mostly to loosen the clay in hopes that my root crops will have an easier time growing.

  • 15 years ago

    A soil pH between 6 and 7 is ideal for most all of the vegetables you might grow. That is the range most all soil nutrients are most readily available.
    Nitrogen availability is dependant on soil temperature and your soil may not yet be warm enough for the soil bacteria to be active enough to make some available to your plants. A low test result at this time of year means little.
    If posssible add enough compost and other oganic matter to bring the humus level up to 6 to 8 percent.
    I'd not add anything to that soil until a good, reliable soil test indicated what and about how much should be added. Excess amounts of nutrients can create as many problems as too little nutrients.