Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - soil test results.....beyond reclamation?

jojomojo · April 14, 2015

I had my soil tested a couple of years ago and haven't really done anything with it yet. The county extension agent basically told me it is beyond reclamation. I'll build raised beds if I have to, but I really want to have an in-ground garden (even if its raised mounds).

In addition to the soil test info below, I'll add that the drainage is terrible. The water is about 2' down.

pH: 8.0
pH is high, but native and introduced plant species that are adapted to this pH should not be negatively affected.

Electrical Conductivity or Salts: 8.1 mmhos/cm
Salts are very high with may cause poor plant growth. Salts may be reduced by leaching the site with 6-12 inches of water to help push salts deeper into the soil profile to dilute their effect. Leaching depends on the availability of good quality water and good drainage.

Lime: High
High: Lime is 2%-5% in the soil. Plants can still grow quite well in soil with this lime content.

Texture Estimate: Clay
This soil may drain at a very low rate. Watering schedules may have to be increased to allow for better water infiltration into the soil profile.

Sodium Absorption Ratio: 23.1
High: This soil has high sodium and is considered to be sodic. Sodic soils can be reclaimed by leaching the site with good quality water. Gypsum or sulfur can be added to the soil along with water to help remove sodium from the root zone.

Organic Material: 2.0 %
Organic Matter is Low. Gradually increase the OM content to about 5% over a period of years. For 2-3 years in the spring or fall, apply 2-3 inches depth of plant-based compost, or 1 inch depth of animal-based compost, and incorporate into the top 6-8 inches of the soil in flower beds. When planting trees and shrubs mix the backfill soil with low salt OM such as peat moss at a rate of 15-20%. For established trees and shrubs add OM to the soil surface at a depth of 0.5 inch.

Nitrate: 13 ppm
N is low: Apply 0.3 lb N/100 sq ft to the soil. For each 0.1 lb of N needed, apply about 1/4 lb urea, or 1/2 lb ammonium sulfate, or 3/4 lb bloodmeal, or 1 lb corn gluten meal, or 5 lb alfalfa meal pellets per 100 sq.ft. Other fertilizers can be used as well. Check with your local garden center or home improvement store to determine what fertilizers are available in your area. When calculating fertilizer rates take the amount of N needed and divide by the % N in the fertilizer. For example, if your fertilizer contains 30% N, take 0.30 lbs (N needed) divided by 0.30 (N in the fertilizer) to get 1 lb of the 30% N fertilizer that is needed to apply per 100 sq.ft. For rates per 1000 sq. ft multiply the quantities by 10.

Phosphorus: 17 ppm
Phosphorus is High; No additional Phosphorus is needed.

Potassium: 563.3 ppm
Potassium is High; No additional K20 is needed.

Zinc: 15.5 ppm
Zinc is Adequate; No additional Zn is needed.

Iron: 18.8 ppm
Iron is Adequate; No additional Iron (Fe) is needed

Manganese: 7.4 ppm
Manganese is Adequate; No additional Mn is needed.

Copper: 9.0 ppm
Copper is Adequate; No additional Cu is needed.

Boron: 0.30 ppm
Boron is High. No additional boron is needed.

Gypsum:
Gypsum is NOT Needed.

Anyone think there's any hope of improving this soil enough to actually grow something in it?

I've considered a few things I could do. One is add a LOT of sawdust & a nitrogen source to get some non-manure organic matter in there. I have a massive pile of wood chips too. I have been composting them with manure, but I guess I could start composting them with a non-manure nitrogen source. There's also a couple products I've been considering (but would sure hate to waste any money if its a hopeless situation) - Soil Secrets products (as discussed here and here) or ByoSoil Saltbind (discussed here). I've emailed both these companies, but neither has responded yet.

I'd be thrilled if I could get to a point that I could at least start working with some cover crops for biomass and improving drainage. I certainly don't expect to start growing tomatoes and green beans this summer

Any input is appreciated.

April 14, 2015	#1
jojomojo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 14	soil test results.....beyond reclamation? I had my soil tested a couple of years ago and haven't really done anything with it yet. The county extension agent basically told me it is beyond reclamation. I'll build raised beds if I have to, but I really want to have an in-ground garden (even if its raised mounds). In addition to the soil test info below, I'll add that the drainage is terrible. The water is about 2' down. pH: 8.0 pH is high, but native and introduced plant species that are adapted to this pH should not be negatively affected. Electrical Conductivity or Salts: 8.1 mmhos/cm Salts are very high with may cause poor plant growth. Salts may be reduced by leaching the site with 6-12 inches of water to help push salts deeper into the soil profile to dilute their effect. Leaching depends on the availability of good quality water and good drainage. Lime: High High: Lime is 2%-5% in the soil. Plants can still grow quite well in soil with this lime content. Texture Estimate: Clay This soil may drain at a very low rate. Watering schedules may have to be increased to allow for better water infiltration into the soil profile. Sodium Absorption Ratio: 23.1 High: This soil has high sodium and is considered to be sodic. Sodic soils can be reclaimed by leaching the site with good quality water. Gypsum or sulfur can be added to the soil along with water to help remove sodium from the root zone. Organic Material: 2.0 % Organic Matter is Low. Gradually increase the OM content to about 5% over a period of years. For 2-3 years in the spring or fall, apply 2-3 inches depth of plant-based compost, or 1 inch depth of animal-based compost, and incorporate into the top 6-8 inches of the soil in flower beds. When planting trees and shrubs mix the backfill soil with low salt OM such as peat moss at a rate of 15-20%. For established trees and shrubs add OM to the soil surface at a depth of 0.5 inch. Nitrate: 13 ppm N is low: Apply 0.3 lb N/100 sq ft to the soil. For each 0.1 lb of N needed, apply about 1/4 lb urea, or 1/2 lb ammonium sulfate, or 3/4 lb bloodmeal, or 1 lb corn gluten meal, or 5 lb alfalfa meal pellets per 100 sq.ft. Other fertilizers can be used as well. Check with your local garden center or home improvement store to determine what fertilizers are available in your area. When calculating fertilizer rates take the amount of N needed and divide by the % N in the fertilizer. For example, if your fertilizer contains 30% N, take 0.30 lbs (N needed) divided by 0.30 (N in the fertilizer) to get 1 lb of the 30% N fertilizer that is needed to apply per 100 sq.ft. For rates per 1000 sq. ft multiply the quantities by 10. Phosphorus: 17 ppm Phosphorus is High; No additional Phosphorus is needed. Potassium: 563.3 ppm Potassium is High; No additional K20 is needed. Zinc: 15.5 ppm Zinc is Adequate; No additional Zn is needed. Iron: 18.8 ppm Iron is Adequate; No additional Iron (Fe) is needed Manganese: 7.4 ppm Manganese is Adequate; No additional Mn is needed. Copper: 9.0 ppm Copper is Adequate; No additional Cu is needed. Boron: 0.30 ppm Boron is High. No additional boron is needed. Gypsum: Gypsum is NOT Needed. Anyone think there's any hope of improving this soil enough to actually grow something in it? I've considered a few things I could do. One is add a LOT of sawdust & a nitrogen source to get some non-manure organic matter in there. I have a massive pile of wood chips too. I have been composting them with manure, but I guess I could start composting them with a non-manure nitrogen source. There's also a couple products I've been considering (but would sure hate to waste any money if its a hopeless situation) - Soil Secrets products (as discussed here and here) or ByoSoil Saltbind (discussed here). I've emailed both these companies, but neither has responded yet. I'd be thrilled if I could get to a point that I could at least start working with some cover crops for biomass and improving drainage. I certainly don't expect to start growing tomatoes and green beans this summer Any input is appreciated.