Gardens in TN and different dirt/clay (Memphis, Moscow: house, buying)

[mbmouse]

I am an idiot, I know..............................I haven't done a PH test yet
But I will, I will!

[anjoe]

You had a great idea, take a soil sample of the dirt where you are planting and have them test it for you at your local County Extention Office. They will tell you exactly what you need to take away or add to your soil. Good luck!

[mbmouse]

OK, I got a kit from Home Depot. I consider myself pretty good with this kind of thing and I followed the directions to the "T" so I am confident I did the tests corectly, this is what I found out.
It tests the PH in one tube...that is good, right about 7.0-7.3 so that is good I believe.
The next tube was Nitrogen, it was so low it wouldn't even register on the chart, I had a feeling the soil was low on nitrogen from what I read about stunted plant growth, this confirms it.
The next tube was Phosphorous, this is very high, it turned the darkest blue, even a bit darker than the highest level on the chart.
The final tube is for Potash. This is at a low to medium level so I believe that is ok.
NOW------How do I increase the levels of nitrogen and possibly add some potash but not increase or even decrease the levels of phosphorous in my soil????
Talk about screwy dirt!! Maybe this is why tobacco grows so good in TN????

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

NOW------How do I increase the levels of nitrogen and possibly add some potash but not increase or even decrease the levels of phosphorous in my soil????

You want a fertilizer like 40-0-0 I believe. Or something like that. The first number is nitrogen.

Do you have any wood ashes available? That would add potash. And don't use any more manure type of application for now.

[mbmouse]

Thanks Alley cat! But dumb me already bought and added a 3 month, slow release Miracle grow formula of 10-10-10. Would adding a 40-0-10 now (about a week after first application) hurt or "burn" the plants?
I was told coffee grounds add nitrogen and that if you add organic fertilizer in with chemical, it won't hurt the plant....haven't had any confirmation on this though and not quiet sure of the source, what do you think? I am gathering coffee grounds from the local Atlanta Bread Co. (they are such NICE people there!) and I am to pick up a 5 gallon bucket of those tomorrow. Was thinking of scratching in that. Again, what do y'all think?

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by mbmouse

Thanks Alley cat! But dumb me already bought and added a 3 month, slow release Miracle grow formula of 10-10-10. Would adding a 40-0-10 now (about a week after first application) hurt or "burn" the plants?
I was told coffee grounds add nitrogen and that if you add organic fertilizer in with chemical, it won't hurt the plant....haven't had any confirmation on this though and not quiet sure of the source, what do you think? I am gathering coffee grounds from the local Atlanta Bread Co. (they are such NICE people there!) and I am to pick up a 5 gallon bucket of those tomorrow. Was thinking of scratching in that. Again, what do y'all think?

Well, if your test showed you still needed nitrogen, then add more. Nitrogen "leaches" out, so I don't think that adding more to the time-release you're already added will hurt. Just go easy at first. You can always add more; it's harder to take it away.

I'm not familiar with coffee grounds; I'm not sure what that adds.

[mbmouse]

Thanks! I appreciate you.

[Tek_Freek]

Too much nitrogen makes me nervous. A large dose in a short period can burn plants. To a crisp.

I would recommend adding the 40-0-10 at 25% the "standard" rate (as given on the package) wait a week and test again to see what kind of improvement you get with the test kit. Use that change to estimate what you should add the next time. i.e. if it goes up to 1/2 as much as the chart says it should have then add the same amount again. If it goes up to 75% add 1/3 as much as the first time.

Hope that came out making sense.

[mbmouse]

Yes, Yes it did make sense, very much so, I will give it a shot, thank you both.

[kountrykitten]

Originally Posted by Michgoner

mbmouse , I agree that the ground has to be worked up real fine , with compost , or sand . When I was in Michigan , I had heavy clay . I had sandy loam soil bought into My garden spot . I worked it in with the clay with a culivator and got real good results .

I'm a Michigoner as well, just recent like 2 weeks. Jobs are terrible in Michigan so my husband finally found one here in Tennessee. I dug up alot of plants from home, and I had alot of them, from Butterfly bushes, to peonies, you name it I have it. Trouble is the clay is unreal. Have never delt with anything so horrible. My mom lives in Michigan too and has dealt with a gray clay garden and her things grow beautifully..What do I need to do with this red clay? Use sand? What else? Any help would be greatly appreciated..Thanks so much.
PS it was 76 here is Tennessee today and 20 in Michigan I love it. I truly Love it!