a question about soil

Apr 18, 2004 3 Replies
L

I have a perplexing problem, and I'm hoping someone here as some suggestions.



About 8-9 years ago, I had a combination of topsoil and compro (or whatever it is that they make out of ground up leaves) delivered for my vegetable gardens. for the first several years, my routine veggie crops were spectacular. Lately, though, I find that seeds won't germinate, even the easiest to grow veggies. Beans, peas, etc...nothing. When I plan seedlings, though, I still get respectable plants.



I suspect that my soil needs something. I'm awaiting the soil test results from my local extension service, but each year, the results look the same, and are usually not real helpful.



Any suggestions? Does this sound like an acidity problem? When you add lime, how much?



Thanks,



Lee


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M

Doesn't sound like a nutrient problem - i.e. your veggies still grow fine when you put in seedlings you claim. When seeds don't germinate it is often that they are killed right after germination (still in the soil) by pathogens. Also, the texture of the soil is sometimes the culprit as the cotyledons cant generate enough pressure to move thru the medium. Take a sample to AG extension and see what they say.

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D

I sounds like you might have a bug that eats seedlings as they sprout or fungus that kills them.

Actually, a slightly acid soil prevents "damping off", a fungus that kills seedlings. That's why my preferred potting mix for starting seeds is half peatmoss.

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B

More than likely a cultural problem. If you allow seedbeds to dry out even once the seeds die. You didn't by chance use preen?

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