Inoculant question

[simy1]

I pllanted my favas and my peas in beds that are one year old (they used to be prairie). I gave the beds maybe four inches of compost made with wood chips and grass clippings last year, and the soil, formerly very sandy, is already vastly improved. But they never were manured. Part of the favas went into a bed, five years old, done entirely with compost made of leaves plus kitchen scraps. I covered all seeds with two years old wood chips. Question: should I have inoculated them prior to planting? Can I improve matters by side dressing with manure, which works as inoculant? Should I inoculate my pole beans, which will go in in a month?

[simy1]

I am not getting too many hits. Let me rephrase it: have you ever used inoculant? does it work? Do you have proof that average soil will inoculate peas or beans just as well? perhaps there is a lurker there who has an idea.

[FDR]

I did a Google search and it seems that there is no conclusive evidence from gardeners.

[Thomas]

Is you goal of inoculating the beans to fix nitrogen in the root system? If so, yes, this should have been done when you planted your seeds. I think that your usage of compost made from wood chips and grass clippings may have improved your soil's structure, but I would bet that your soil needs nutrients. What kind of fertilizer are you using if any? The same with the

[Katra]

Will well composted manure mixed with soil work???

I generally top dress with soil shoveled out of the chicken and emu pens.

Seems to make all kinds of happy plants. ;-)

If anyone in Texas in the Austin/San Antonio area wants to shovel their own for free, please feel free to visit me!

This e-mail works if you remove the "mungbean".

[Thomas]

[Frank Miles]

IMHO innoculation helps, though I haven't made careful measurements. The plants seems bigger, healthier, and most definitely have more and larger root nodules.

Definitely treat before planting.

-frank

[simy1]

too late, of course. But I will inoculate half the pole beans when I plant them next month, so I will have a test plus a control sample. For the present batch, I will err on the side of caution and fertilize with urea. Surely inoculation and urea have the same overall effect. In 2004, in the old repeatedly manured beds, it was hard to tell a difference.

[Katra]

2 hours in Texas is, like, right next door!

I'm in San Marcos.

[Thomas]

[OmManiPadmeOmelet]

EW. Too True!!!

My truck gets 20.