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Kutztown, PA

I Received this recommendation from my soil testing lab:

I suggest manganese sulfate at 25 oz MnSO4/1000sqft.
Your extractable potassium is low, but your supply rate is high. I suggest when the fruit is the size of a
grapefruit, you apply 4 pounds 0-0-60 and 1 pound Epsom salts/1000sqft.

Can I just convert oz to lb and apply granular manganese sulfate? Also, since the plants will be fairly large once a fruit is pollenated how can I accurately apply the 0-0-60 and the Epsom salts over the plant area? How would you do it?

1/18/2022 11:21:09 AM

Westmoreland, KS

Post your soil results in your diary...smart dudes on here can tell you exactly what you will need.

1/18/2022 2:27:48 PM

Kutztown, PA

Good Idea Jake. I'll give it a try.

1/18/2022 2:45:17 PM

Grittyville, WA

A hand or backpack type sprayer, or hose end sprayer can mix and deliver somewhat evenly. Other growers run stuff through drip lines.

The hose end sprayers may only be able to deliver a half pound at a time but thats ok just spread the fertilizing out over a few weeks every few days. Wash the leaves off if you are worried the fertilizer will burn but its usually reasonably dilute by the time it gets onto the plant.

Some hose sprayers might work comnected into an overhead sprinkler if they have male threads on the outflow. There are more expensive irrigation options too like the Dosastron but level I doubt they will affect your results much... it doesnt matter if you drive a Dodge or a Datsun as long as it gets you to the same destination, its pretty much the same.

1/18/2022 5:04:42 PM

Deer Park, WI

Feel free to email your results to me.

The 25oz MnSO4 use rate is of little relevance if there is no standardization of the concentration of MnSO4 in liquid preparations. we talking a 10% solution? 50%? 100%?

Given that you still have time to apply and incorporate nutrients, granular broadcast and tilling in will be the most practical way to address potential manganese imbalances prior to this season.

Epsom salt and 0-0-60 are concentrated salts and would need to be diluted very much to avoid foliar and root burn. here again, broadcast incorporation prior to the season is most practical. In season application of concentrated fertilizers may or may not be warranted, this a function of starting soil test values and in-season tissue testing as your guide.

1/19/2022 7:45:28 AM

Deer Park, WI

Shameless plug: all of the above and more are discussed in detail in the "Giant pumpkin growers guide to managing soil fertility" available on the SCGA website:

https://www.stcroixgrowers.org/collections/how-to-guides/products/giant-pumpkin-growers-guide-to-interpreting-soil-tests-managing-fertility

1/19/2022 7:49:14 AM

Kutztown, PA

Thanks for the suggestions. Joe, I was thinking the same thing, i.e. why not just put it all down at the beginning of the season. Can you think of any reason for not doing that?
I can do the math with respect to converting concentration, I just did like the idea of applying amendments over the plant.

1/19/2022 11:37:20 AM

Kutztown, PA

PS - My soil test results are in my Diary. For some reason the site turned them sideways.

1/19/2022 11:41:31 AM

I'm local from your area Garwolf. If you like we could get together one day and talk about the numerous questions you have on the msg board with the shade cloth, soil test, freezing pollen etc...

1/20/2022 9:46:13 AM

Kutztown, PA

Time2Grow,

I'm close to Bowers, How local are you?

1/20/2022 10:34:23 AM

10 minutes from Bowers.

1/20/2022 10:38:47 AM

Just North of 222

1/20/2022 10:40:18 AM

Kutztown, PA

That's pretty close. I work at the University. You can email me at fleming@kutztown.edu and we could exchange contact info if you want.

1/20/2022 11:16:45 AM

Grittyville, WA

Garwolf, try doing a small edit to the pixtures (resize just a bit, for example) and then post. Their seems to be a hidden computer code that flips them, but if you do any edits to the picture, then it wipes away that hidden coding.

1/20/2022 5:16:33 PM

Kutztown, PA

Gritty, I did the edit - we'll see how they post. Thanks for the tip. What if I want to delete the previous photos from my diary. Is there a way to do that?? I didn't see one.

1/21/2022 8:30:41 AM