Soil sample taken .

[DogDiesel]

Hi,

I got a Accugrow test kit and a D hoe from Johnnies today. I just had to go dig a hole. So I went out and dug a hole in the snow and soil to get a sample. And did a test. This is what I came up with.

PH 7 Nitrogen A Phosphorus D Potassium C- D , but its closer to D then C

Last year I mixed up liquid fish fertilizer and poured it on the plants using a hand waterer. And that's mostly nitrogen. So that guess worked out. It was 5-1-1, 0r 3-1-1.

Other then that, And the fact I just dug a hole in the snow in the dark. It looks like I'm nitrogen deficient. And the fact that the kit doesn't show PH above 7. How would you know if your PH is over 7.

Diesel

[Billy]

Litmus paper

or

[DogDiesel]

That is so cool, I have 3/4 of that stuff.

[Billy]

Have fun, Dawg.

[David Hare-Scott]

What do these letters A, B etc mean in this context?

How weird that they don't cover that. I would expect there to be quite a few districts in the USA where the typical soil pH would be alkaline. Consider testing in several places before amending your soil, as sample of one is not very representative.

This isn't going to be very accurate because litmus changes colour over quite a wide range of pH, you are probably not going to be able to tell if the pH is 7, 8 or above 8 using litmus. There are dye indicator systems that will give you a much better reading. I forget the brand of the one I have and as the temperature is about 42C I am not going out to the shed to find it right now.

David

[DogDiesel]

I did put a half gallon of dry of 10-10-10 down and tilled it in. Forgot about that.

The closer to A , the more deficient. D being ideal, I guess.

Yea, For sure, I just had to go do one and see. I never checked it ever.

I agree. And I will address this issue. But its unlikely that Im not Nitrogen deficient. What plants grew last year responded very well to me adding fish fertilizer to them.

There are dye indicator systems

I wouldnt do it either.

Diesel.

[David Hare-Scott]

Don't get too excited about measured N levels unless your plants are showing signs of deficiency. The agronomists that I talk to say it is the most difficult element to measure reliably and the one that can vary quite quickly because many N compounds are very soluble in water and/or gaseous so they move about easily.

D

[Billy]

42C in New South Wales?

[Billy]

Or you have so much organic material in the soil, that the microorganisms consume the N to create a population large enough to consume the resource of carbon (starch&cellulose), and little N is left for the plants.

[George]

until the organic material is depleted and the microorganisms die off, releasing N.

Try taking a reading in a few weeks and a few after that to see what trend may develop.

rob

[George]

42C not 42F. That damned cyclone that hit Aus. Also blowing hot stickly air masses across the Tasman to us. Too hot & too wet.

rob

[David Hare-Scott]

Yes and I don't live at Broken Hill. We had 44C here a year or two ago. I have been watering early morning and then retiring indoors, in the last week I have used 30 kilolitres. Yesterday it was 30C at 8AM EDST (7AM sun time) and 40C by 2PM.

A sunburnt country of droughts and flooding rains. And cyclones. The Little Girl is still toying with us.

D

[Billy]

You're in Bourke then?

[David Hare-Scott]

No north of Newcastle, not 500km from the coast more like 50km.

this is the nearest automatic weather station with full details:

[Billy]

Your lucky to have such a good school near you. What's the name of the river?

[David Hare-Scott]

It is good to have an agricultural college about, I have been to some good events there. The college is has an interesting history, it was established by the Presbyterian church on an old farming homestead, it is now state government. The river is the Patterson river which is part of the Hunter system.

David

[FarmI]

You're in God's own there David.

[David Hare-Scott]

That's true, when the Hunter is in drought and they can't feed their horses they come to me. I am not actually at Tocal rather somewhat northeast, it was just the closest weather station.

I have new photos that need to be squeezed and posted to photobucket, stay tuned.

David