I had my soil tested a few weeks ago. here are the results
ph 7.4
crop notes:
apply 2 pounds urea or 3 pounds ammonium nitrate /1000 square foot plus 2 pounds phosphate /1000 square foot or a fertilizer with a ratio close to 1 1 0 before planting.
not sure what that all means?
Can I use triple l3 and be ok?
also stated
P is below optimum
K is above optimum
zn is above optimum
not sure what all this meant either.
soil tested, don't understand the results
It simply means that that your soil pH is slightly high, but since they made no recommendations fro correcting it, probably in the growing range fro plants that you wished to grow. Your soil needs the nutrients N and P for good growth. It is already high in K. They also noted that it is high in the minor nutrient Zinc, whic is especially good if you grow pecans.
They are recommending that You add nitrogen and phosphate in equal amounts. They are suggesting Ammonium Nitrate (34-0-0) and Superphosphate ( 0-40-0) and avoiding potassium. Triple 13 is 13-13-13. an equal amount of potassium.
How can I get ammonium nitrate and superphosphate into the ground. what do I need to buy? not sure.
Not growing pecans out there though, just veggies. kind of weird that the ph is that high, it's been 3 years now since we put a truck load of lime on the soil, and the garden grew better than ever the next year.
so I can't use triple l3 ha ? I'm not sure where to get that AN and Superphosphate stuff at.
If your veggies are growing well, I would not worry much about it. The only reason not use 13-13-13 is that you really do not need the potassium. If you use 13-13-13 this year with good results, I would not worry too much about it. If you have access to chicken manure, It is closer to the ratios that you want. It is just not as concentrated. Superphosphate is just an acid treated rock, so it needs to incorporated into soil before planting. If your fruiting plants are vigourous but slow to bloom and fruit it might be advisable to incorporate some. Soil tests are useful, but they are not something that you bet the farm on. Sort of like long range weather forecasts. Most farm supplies will have superphosphate in 50 lbs bags and garden centers will have in 2-5 lb bags. Ammonium Nitrate is not as readily available since it can be used to make explosives. But high nitogen fertilizers are generally available in less potent forms. Nitrate of Soda 16-0-0 and Ammonium Sulphate 20-0-0 are usually the easist to find and the safest to use.
I don't use strong chemical fertilizers, and because ammonium nitrate can be used as explosives, it's more and more difficult for home gardeners to buy it.
You can add nitrogen in many ways, such as alfalfa meal, horse, cow, and sheep manures, or growing a crop such as beans, alfalfa, etc. and folding it under before it flowers.
Actually all of these will be about the same 1-1-1 ratio of 13-13-13 it is just less concentrated. Cow manure for example is 0.5 - 0.5 -0.5. Alfalfa meal is 3-1-2. Organic nitrogen sources will include Blood meal (12-0-0), Cottonseed meal (6-2-1), Fish meal ( 9-3-1), and Feather meal (13-0-0).
Bone meal (1-11-0) is an an option fro the phosphate.
Ok, thanks for all the wonderful help.
I have lot s of chicken manure and cow manure, but not enough to putdown through the whole garden, just in the rows which is what we do. I never took the soil samples from the rows that are planted but between the rows.