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Location

Message

Date Posted

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Have been hearing a lot about making sure that a fertlization program is balnced or the plant will not absorb the nutrients provided. What does this mean ? How do you make sure that it is balanced when using different things ? I was told that using 0-0-60 would be of no benefit if it was not balanced !

5/2/2006 7:07:45 PM

Cincinnati,OH

You need a soil test. If your soil is potash deficient then 0-0-60 would help a lot. If your potash is really high 0-0-60 would make your soil worse.

5/2/2006 8:04:54 PM

ENGLAND

Yep, as Ron says you need a Soil Test/Analyses carried out on a sample of soil from your intended growing area. Join the GVGO (Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario) and you will get a good discount from A & L Canada Laboratories when having your Soil Analysed.
Regards
Mike

5/3/2006 3:25:31 AM

Miramichi, New Brunswick

Thanks guys, that's what I will do. Good luck for the season.

Regards,
Ed

5/3/2006 7:01:16 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Balanced soil simply means that all nutrients are available to the plants in sufficient quantity and a proper pH is maintained. The key word there is ALL. A deficiency or over abundance of any one nutrient can cause other nutrients to be "locked-up" due to chemical reactions in the soil, or the plants inability to take in one nutrient without sufficient quantities of another.
A simple explanation of this would be growing tomatoes in low pH soil. Even though the soil has all of the nutrients a tomato needs to grow, they will suffer a serious case of blossom end rot. This is primarily caused by an excess of soluble aluminum (due to the acid nature of low pH soils). The aluminum reaches nearly toxic levels and inhabits cation exchange sites normaly held by calcium. Your soil may have an abundance of calcium, but it is no longer available to the plants. Without sufficient calcium uptake, the plant cells are weakend leading to blossom end rot.
That is a very simplified explanation of a very complex process. As Ron and Mike advised, it all starts with a properly taken soil sample.
You will some people mention ratios, such as the Ca:Mg ratio. While it was once believed to be true, it has been proven time and again that there is no ideal ratio. The key is to have sufficient quantities of everything, without an over-abundance of anything. That is balanced soil.

5/4/2006 7:36:28 AM

Montoursville, PA

Ballanced Soil is most easily attained, by using that wonderfull stuff that within a few inches was rumen. Fresh manure fall added with a healthy application of leaves, to a proper PH and followed with a cover crop is just a plain pure and simple way to build good healthy soil.

Things like compost and worm casts are icing, on the cake, but will be in a well managed patch as delivered, by the basics. The key is to work each year to better the ballance using the basics. Tweaking with chemistry or purchased organic elements is a personal choice. The question is always will my actions create a sustainable healthy soil.

The repeating outstanding producers seem,to be using more and more simple basics, in spite, of hanging onto the latest manufactured elements that are petro based.

We will change, to basics eventually. The cost, of petro based goodies is going outside, of all reasonable costs.

5/28/2006 10:13:08 PM