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  • From: "Peg Cook" <pegcook AT northnet.org>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Organic Fertilizer ?s
  • Date: Tue, 16 May 2000 19:31:31 -0400


Dave,
The first thing I do when I have completed a soil analysis is to (1) Check
the pH. Is the pH within the proper growing range for the I will be making
recommendaitons for? (2) I check the % Base Saturation of Calcium,
Magnesium and Potassium and use this as a "guideline" in seeing how balanced
or unbalanced the soil SYSTEM is. (3) Next, I look at the % Organic Matter,
Cation Exchange Capacity (C.E.C.) and the Estimated Nitrogen Release (ENR),
which is calculated from the % Organic Matter to give an "idea" of how much
Nitrogen would become available during the growing season. This is a figure
that I also look at to see if the soil SYSTEM might becoming overloaded with
Nitrogen, as well. (4) Next, I look at the actual nutrient levels of N, P,
K, SO4 to see how low they actually are. Notice up to this point I have not
even mentioned anything about the crop I will be making recommendations for!
(5) After looking at the nutrient levels, then, I look to see what type of
crop is going to be grown. Different crops do require different nutrient
needs, but, the crop needs to be able to extract that nutrient WHEN it needs
it for its specific growth purpose. So, the main thing to keep in mind is
that the "soil system is a continual chemical reaction going on" with the
help of soil moisture and mircoorganisms, etc. So, as long as the soil
system is kept within a good "balance", then, you can provide the proper
nutrients to produce the crop you need.

The next thing to consider is the "quality" of your crop. In other words,
flavor and palatablity of vegetables and fruit are going to rate higher than
pasture for your sheep. The best way that I have found to check for crop
quality is by using a refractometer (brix) meter which measures the sugar
level in a plant. The higher the brix, the better the quality of crop.

The main reason I test for SO4 is that Sulfates help raise protein content
in plants, thus, raising the sugar level (or brix).

I also test for Aluminum and use it as another indicator to see if heavy
metals could be a problem in a soil. Also, Aluminum is toxic to plant
health and creates a lot of little sutle changes in crops that occur over a
period of time that you might not otherwise notice.

Finally, my main philosophy in working with agronomics is: "To optimize
nutrient management by balancing the soil system". It seems to keep working
after doing this work for 29 years.

I know this is very long, but, I hope it helps answer your questions.

Peg Cook
Cook's Consulting
Lowville, NY.

pegcook AT northnet.org

----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Bennett <dbennett AT micoks.net>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 9:45 AM
Subject: Re: Organic Fertilizer ?s


> I've been studying soil balance & besides NPK it looks like calcium,
magnesium, & sulphur are other major components. The issue I'm running into
is finding out what "balanced" is for each situation.
>
> For example, I have vegetable prodution, orchard, & pasture for sheep. Can
these all have the same "balance" requirements for their very different end
crops & uses?
>
> "Peg Cook" <pegcook AT northnet.org> wrote:
> __________
> >Dave,
> >Keep in mind that the numbers that come out of the County Extension
Office
> >are for "actual" N, P, and K. These numbers do not indicate whether to
use
> >a "chemical" fertilizer or an "organic" fertilizer.
> >
> >Ava did a great job in her posting explaining this to you. I was very
> >impressed that she also included SO4!!! However, these numbers do not
often
> >tell if the soil "system" is in balance. When I do a soil test, I like
to
> >see FIRST how balanced the soil system is. On my soil test reports I
> >include % Base Saturation for Ca, Mg, and K as well as % Organic Matter
and
> >the Cation Exchange Capacity (C.E.C.). I use ALL of these factors to
> >determine if the soil "system" is in or out of balance! After looking at
> >that, then, I look to see what nutrients are deficient. Then, I can give
my
> >Customer either an organic or chemical recommendation or both, depending
on
> >what they ask for. Keep in mind that most land-grant colleges do not
test
> >for % Base Saturation and C.E.C.
> >
> >I base all of my soil test recommendations on "Optimizing Nutrient
> >Management by Balancing the Soil System." If you have a healthy soil
> >"system", you will have healthy crops.
> >
> >Again, Ava did a very good job of explaining N, P, and K.
> >
> >Hope this helps!
> >
> >Peg Cook, Agronomist
> >Cook's Consulting
> >Lowville, NY
> >
> >pegcook AT northnet.org
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: Dave Bennett <dbennett AT micoks.net>
> >To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> >Sent: Monday, May 15, 2000 7:06 PM
> >Subject: Organic Fertilizer ?s
> >
> >
> >> Over the past few months our County Extension Office has been doing
soil
> >analyses for free. (!) Typically these come back with recommendations
like
> >"8 - 10 # of 13-13-13 per 1000 sq ft".
> >>
> >> Has anyone developed, or seen, some kind of "translation" of this kind
of
> >report into a straightforward organic matter application?
> >>
> >> * * *
> >>
> >> If I take a box of Blood Meal labeled 12-0-0 & mix it with a box of
Bone
> >Meal labeled 0-10-0 have I created a batch of 12-10-0?
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> >> ---
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> >>
> >
> >
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> >
>
>
> Dave
>
> ---
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