The Tropical Fruit Forum
Everything Else => Tropical Vegetables and Other Edibles => Topic started by: Peekaboo on June 06, 2020, 10:42:28 PM
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Hi fellas I've been trying all along to grow decent veggies on my sandy loam soil,however in the end my plants are growing compromised with lack of color and vigor.although I'm fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers I haven't been able to achieve any greening action compared to my high clay soil.I've amending hydrated limestone and chicken manure before planting,I'm stumped though any ideas?
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Try looking at some photos of common plant nutrient deficiency symptoms by the appearance of leaves. Could the soil be excessively acidic or alkaline? Though I've been to Trinidad I don't know much about your soils. There could just be an imbalance causing the problem, or some essential nutrient.
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Maybe my nitrogen applications are being restricted due to excessive acidity (wack ph)
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Maybe my nitrogen applications are being restricted due to excessive acidity (wack ph)
Yes, lots of nutrients get tied up in acid soil, and if low enough aluminum gets freed up to toxic levels.
http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-acidity (http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-acidity)
You could do a simple experiment with wood ash that should help correct acidity and add some potssium.
Do it to one or several plants or grass and see it it helps green things up. You could also do a soil pH test.
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Thanks alot bro,I've been having alot of disease pressure as well due to poor nutrient uptake . are there any other effective methods that can raise soil ph for plants that are already under cultivation?I've heard about caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).
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The standard worldwide is lime, it was discussed in the link. As local cacao farmers about it I read that Trinidad has plenty of acidic soils.
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Wood ash, or shells that are kiln baked (lime) will do a great job.
The finer the amendment is ground, the quicker the effect.
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Nitrates can reduce calcium uptake and many of the N fertlisers acidify the soil. Without a pic of the plant or soil it is hard to know anything much. Something is either missing or in excess in the soil or pH is wrong.
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Would suggest 3 things first do a slurry check your soil PH and ppm
ALso do the same for your water. Soil ph (low ph) from what I've been learning can lock out minerals right in your soil.
See what going on in the soil and then do a good flush.
You can also try doing a foliar feed to see what your plant is missing that its not getting from the soil.
Just a few suggestions.
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The question asked in the first place in this thread is confusing. The subject being chlorophyll in soil is easy to answer in that the soil doesn't need any as it is the foliage that does. Magnesium in the soil helps make chlorophyll. The questions afterwards don't relate to the subject very well.
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Sandy loam soil is mineral in nature and by itself does not have nutrients.
Nutrients (fertilizer) are fed from above (ground) with rain or applied tap water.
Apply Azomite three times a year in spring through late summer to supply all of the necessary trace elements. This will really help with healthy growth.
I have lush green grown on all of my fruit trees and vegetables when Azomite is applied regularly.
Johnny
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Not quite true and get your basalt rock dust from a local source as it isn't worth the mileage if you live far away. Minerals in the soil are nutrients and loam is just particle size of soil with ideal proportions of clay, silt and sand.
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Ok let's talk rock dust for a second. Does the elemental composition matter really if it's all looked up in an unusable form? Is it phosphate rock we are talking about? So how long will it take for basalt or granite dust minerals to be worked on microbially so plants can use them? Way too long I think.