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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Soluble Organic Sulfur Sources

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  • From: Marty Kraft <martyk@allspecies.org>
  • To: pvukovic1@yahoo.com, Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Soluble Organic Sulfur Sources
  • Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:11:18 -0600

Thanks to you and the pumpkin lady. 

I currently have a local coffee shop coming once a week with 10 gallons of grounds. They spread on one bed and then the next in order. I do that mostly to feed the worms. I've heard conflicting stories about the acidification from grounds. I wonder about pine needles, that they might acidify.

I have been tested for zinc, iron, manganese, copper and boron. MU Extension says all high. Boron slightly high. Logan lab test say boron slightly low and my broccoli have hollow stems.

Marty
On Mar 6, 2009, at 3:20 PM, Pete Vukovich wrote:

A couple things might also be worth considering besides sulphur depending on how big this is.

1) Soil from woodlots is typically going to be more acidic than tilled. If you've got that and check it out, you might want to mix in some. Same goes for pond tailings/bottom detritus, if you've got those you might want to vacuum them up.

2) If you're small and have local coffee shops coffee grounds make darn good acidifying agents.

3) Too much solubility of acids will lock up things like iron, and calcium (or magnesium? I can't remember) have you had your micronutrients looked at? Maybe a dumb question, you probably know more about balancing these things than I do anyway.

4) Be careful of the bentonite  based granulated sulphur stuff, I think this may contribute to structure  issues if your tilling. I don't know for sure yet, but I'm suspicious it might if you have substantial variation in soil temp and rainfall.





--- On Fri, 3/6/09, Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net> wrote:
From: Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Soluble Organic Sulfur Sources
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 10:25 AM

Marty Kraft wrote:
> I'm looking to lower the garden soil Ph and am working with organic
> no-till beds. If anyone has had any experience that might help, i'd
> like info. Also i would like a source of soluble sulfur or how to
> make sulfur soluble.

You can just sprinkle sulfur chips over the top of it in
fall and let it work it's way in all winter. Or work it into
the top inch or so, if you want.

I was bad, I tilled my beds the first time to get the sulfur
in because I didn't get started the winter before. I mulched
them promptly and they haven't been touched since except to
plant things in and a little weeding. It needed to be tilled
anyway. I couldn't have gotten a spade in it to put
seedlings in otherwise. I'm working on turning a pasture
into no-till beds, but as someone somewhere observed, most
of the people who go to no-till are doing it on places that
were previously tilled regularly. Mine wasn't.

I think there is a sulfur granule that they make, with some
other kind of mineral in it. It might get in the soil faster
and without disturbing it. You might look at lawn and garden
stores to see if they have any idea about it.

Good luck,
Morgan
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