[compost_tea] RES: Correction on Soil Analysis

From: Merla Barberie (herbnmerla@supersat2.net)
Date: Thu Mar 27 2003 - 13:27:24 EST


Hi Jose,

I am the leader of a cost-share grant to do non-chemical weed control on
an 8-mile long county road that has glacial till soil. I quoted the Soil
Analysis in a previous CT Digest. It was garbled in transmission and I
was just correcting it. Here is the whole analysis. You must have
missed my introduction. This soil is on a road right-of-way that
contains hawkweed. CT specialists have recommend balancing the soil as
part of a program to eliminate weeds. I was asking for ideas on using CT
for weed control and got many suggestions from the list.

I do not have a good enough background to interpret a soil analysis. I
do not even know what the "VH", "VL", and "M" stand for so I can't
understand the significance of the numbers. I assume "H" is hectare and
"L" is liter. I just have to go by recommendations from people who can
quantify for analysis.

Bruce Tainio of "Tainio Technology and Technique" in Cheney, Washington,
USA, a nearby town, very kindly helped us. We sent 4 soil tests to his
preferred lab, Mid-West Labs in Omaha, Nebraska, and from those four
tests, he gave us his nutrient balance calculation for how much mineral
to add per acre of soil. I am repeating what I sent before for your
benefit. The problems with the garbled email transmission and with the
ambiguity of my own message made it hard for Elaine to comment. That
particular site had only a thick patch of hawkweed [spreads by runners
as well as seed and goes through 3 or 4 life cycles per season] and
kinnickinnick, a native ground cover and some native grass. It is in an
area where the forest comes right up to the side of the road. This area
had been cleared to about 12 ft deep sometime in the past, but was
nicely covered with vegetation (including the unwanted hawkweed). We
have a test plot there and will use Bruce's suggested micronutrients and
microorganisms ("Biogenesis I) to see if the hawkweed diminishes. We
live in a rural culture of 2,4-D use here and we're trying to find some
practicable non-chemical solution.

Here is the Soil Analysis (one report) and Bruce's Nutrient Balance
Calculation (another report) side by side. Hope it comes through
ungarbled. I did my best to line it up within the parameters of this
email. I can't send an attachment. Best, Merla


SOIL ANALYSIS REPORT NUTRIENT BALANCE
Hawkweed CALCULATION
(From Mid-West Labs) (From Bruce Tainio)

Organic matter 4.5 H
Phosphorus, weak bray 5 ppm VL P 200# / acre
Phosphorus, strong bray 59 ppm VH
Potassium 182ppm VH K 2ppm
Magnesium 134ppm H Mg 10ppm
Calcium 1229ppm H Ca 76ppm
Sodium 19ppm VL
pH 1:1 6.3
pH buffer index 6.9
Cation Exchange Capacity 8.7
% Base Saturation
     Potassium 5.4
     Magnesium 12.8
     Calcium 70.6
     Hydrogen 10
Nitrate 1ppm N 60#/acre
Nitrate 2lbs/A
Sulfur 19ppm H S 0
Zinc 1.3ppm M Mn 20#/acre
Iron 39ppm VH Fe 0
Copper 0.7ppm L Cu 2.6#/acre
Boron 0.5ppm L B 2#/acre
Excess Lime Rate L
Soluble Salts 1:1 0.2mmhos/cm L

* * * * *

Message: 7
   Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 21:48:14 -0300
   From: "Jose Luiz M Garcia" <gingerjo@terra.com.br>
Subject: RES: Correction on Soil Analysis


I find this soil analysis very strange.
I don't see Ca, Mg, K, CEC, Organic Matter, Phosphate.
It is mostly micronutrients and sulphur.
The sulphate goes hand in hand with Phosphate levels.
Without knowing one I cannot recommend the other.
I consider ideal levels the following :
Zinc .............. 15 ppm
Copper ......... 5 ppm
Boron ........... 1 ppm
Manganese ... 50 ppm
Iron ............... 100 ppm
To raise by 1 ppm each mineral you will need approximately
one kilogram ( 2.2 Lbs) per hectare ( about a pound per acre)
I don't see how the iron was considered OK. It is definitely low.
The other amounts recommended will not bring mineral levels
to ideal.
Am I missing something ?

Jose




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