Epic gardening Soil Testing Kit and Supplies - 5% off your purchase using discount code: HomegrownFlorida5 Or use this link shop.epicgardening.com/HOMEGROWNFLORIDA5 As an Epic Gardening Ambassador, I earn from qualifying purchases.
You could have gotten them same if not better from the university of Florida extension office for $10. Every county has a Department of Agriculture. You can download the form with how to take a soil sample and mail it back to them. They are in Florida and know what the soil should be like. They specifically outline on the form to take 10-15 soil samples. You might get them to do one also just to compare. A lot cheaper then $54.00
They cost a bit more in my area but they are a really good resource too. I really wanted to do this one because it showed more items than the ones they do. I did speak to them and they sent me a sample of what they include in their testing. I’ll probably use them every other year and this larger panel on the opposite years.
Sunflowers can be used to clean soil through a process called phytoremediation. They can absorb heavy metals, salts, radiation, and other pollutants from contaminated soil. You can also use biochar, lettuce and legume cover crops.
@@scottburgle2169 Any of them will work. Just remember some sunflowers put off an inhibitor that can slow the growth of other plants. Also, obviously, don't compost the plant, bag it and trash it. I would use a type adapted to my area that are non-invasive. If you use ProCut varieties you'd at least get some beautiful cut flowers out of it. Some other ideas for soil remediation include Jerusalem Artichokes, Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) and Groundhog Radish. Morgan County Seeds sells the latter under their cover crop section for $3.30 for a pound of seed. The deep tap root pulls up nutrition from deep underground. I'd use it after a few rounds of sunflowers to replenish nutrition.
This is a very interesting insight. I’d love to know if you get your well water tested, whether the excess phosphorus is coming from that source. Thank you both for sharing!
I am in agreement with testing beds individually. Maybe start with those you are having the most trouble with. I do most of my gardening in containers as I too have the famous Florida sandy soil. When I do plant in ground plants that have larger roots systems I will dig a hole to however deep the plants roots are to go and then back fill with a compost, manure, peat moss, and/or some bagged garden or potting mix mixed in. For in ground shallow rooted plants just make shallow furrows and back fill with a nice bagged garden or potting mix. Please keep us posted if you do water test.
You can easily solve the magnesium deficiency by sprinkling a little Epsom in your raised beds . I should do a soil test for my raised beds, you've given me food for thought lol.
For gardeners, most universities do soil analysis . Kansas State University does soil testing for $16.25 in my area. This is what they call the gardeners package it tests for NPK,OM, etc. I think you should have had each bed tested individually. I know my beds are surely different.I need to have all of them tested at some point.I know that excessive compost can lead to problem's so I have not used much since my in ground days. I have to admit that in 6 years of raised bed gardening, I have never had my beds tested. Everything grows wonderfully, so for now, at least I'm not concerned.
My in-ground soil here in NCFL is also very high in P. I switched to using a synthetic 12-0-12 fertilizer I get from WalMart. A combination of blood meal and kelp meal will do a similar thing (i.e. providing Nitrogen and Potassium without increasing P levels) if you prefer something organic (but it's also a lot more expensive).
I would not add sand, but take it easy on amendments for a year or two and retest. You could potentially add a small amount of top soil if you really want to lower the organic content, but I would go easy on that for sure. In my opinion, it is hard to have too much organic content. It will break down over time as well. So, I wouldn't be too concerned with being on the high side.
Great video! I have a few comments/ suggestions. I'm located just north of Sarasota. I got an extension soil test done when we first moved to this house built using trucked in fill dirt. It was very shelly so I was curious about its composition And compatibility with my tomatoes And HOA required lawn. My natural pH is 8.3. I have loads of natural phosphorus and the extension office told me that that's common in limestone soils in Florida. I have been adding elemental sulfur to my entire yard to reduce the pH. I also struggle to get micro minerals, especially iron in my soil and I found a citrus nutritional spray by Southern AG which has been helping to add iron as well as other things as a spot treatment, especially my trees. I had a maple which did really well in ground but my Holly and my Cape Jasmine require frequent acid producing fertilizers like hollytone. I only add bone meal to my container plants. Mostly peppers and tomatoes. They immediately die. If I put them in ground they can't tolerate that high pH. Plus though my soil is very sugar Sandy, The grade on my property is terrible and nothing drains. The best solution I have for that is to add compost which soaks up some of the water. I also want to add that I think sulfur lowers or acidifies your pH not the other way around. It's definitely your phosphorus that's increasing your pH, but I'm not sure the high sulfur is affecting it as much as you think. I could be wrong. And don't be embarrassed about your phosphorus levels, we are all Make mistakes and we are learning from you which I think is fantastic. I'm so glad you got a fancy soil test and shared your results with us. Please do continue to share your results as you modify your amendments next year as it helps us all grow. ❤❤🌱
Another comment please. Please please definitely get your well, water tested! And share with us! If you have iron in your water I would love to know because I have no iron in my soil. You probably also have phosphorus in your water. I am so curious. Maybe somebody will sponsor you a water test so you can do a video! 🎉
Thank you for taking the time to go through the results so thoroughly. One thing, however, requires correction. Unless the laws of nature are different in Florida, sulfur lowers pH rather than raising it. It is often used to lower pH for acid loving plants such as blueberries.
Your soil test shows you are doing a good job. Really all you need to do is not apply more P until it comes down. Apply Nitrogen as needed. Could add some epsom salt to increase Magnesium if you want. The three things soil test tells you is what not to add to your soil, what to add, and your pH. Compost will raise the P due to plants sort of using a ratio of 3:1:2(rule of thumb) and compost being 1:1:1. thus over time increasing P if additional N is not applied. The really high P levels in Ag is caused by over applying animal manures and grasses not being able to use it due to lack of N, causing pollution when the soil leaves the field with erosion.
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Compost will not hurt much with the addition of blood meal. Blood meal is high in Nitrogen so that will help keep the P from getting worse. Really your levels are not real bad, and I think the bone meal is what caused the high P.
This was interesting. I have only done the at home soil test with my water/soil meter. I only use Dr. Earth fertilizers, worm castings when I'm transplanting new plants, and in between, I use homemade compost, and homemade compost tea, aloe compost water, and fish fertilizer. I let the leaves on my plants tell me when it's time to add nutrients. If I were in your situation, I would add some of our native sandy soil to my beds before disturbing the soil by tilling it. I'm still waiting on some cooler weather before I start spending more time in the garden during the day. I'm still on my evening gardening scheduled, and having to deal with the mosquitoes in the evening. I just started a bunch of seeds indoors under grow lights. I will be cleaning up my raised beds and topping them off with compost to get them ready for fall gardening. Happy gardening, Petrina 😊
I’ve been going back and forth on whether to till or add sand but I’ve gotten a lot of good advice so I’m thinking I’m just going to ease up and not add any amendments and just test again in a year. Hopefully the high items naturally come down from the plants 🤞
There is a young man (25), that has a market garden I believe near you, his YT channel is "Growing Back to Eden Garden " he's such a good gardener. It's actually his ministry. Check him out. He came from Washington state and had to completely relearn gardening in our Florida soil. He m ay know exactly what you need to do with your soil. My Heart breaks for him because he's got lyme disease. It's a horrible disease 😞. ANYWAYS, Thanks for sharing, this is very interesting. ❤❤
Phosphorous does not leach into the soil very well, which is good. It is pretty immobile, but attaches to soil. When erosion happens, it takes the P with it. And 200 is not incredibly high. 400 ppm can cause some problems, but usually it is when it hits 1000 ppm it causes real problems. Nitrogen is very mobile in the soil, either leaching, running off, or going back into the atmosphere. That is why they usually do not test for it since it changes month to month if not week to week. Corn uses a lot of P so if you are really concern it will take a lot out of the soil.
Phosphorus is horrible for us in florida, it feeds the algae blooms and creates major issues for our water supply. We have to be careful with it because most of or soil is sand which holds nothing.
NOOO SAND! Oh my goodness it will turn your beds into concrete pits, even with the compost. 😆😆 I think you may be putting the cart before the horse. I did a soil test 2 years ago, just like you, grab some from this bed and that bed...My numbers came back on the excessive sides for some, like Iron (it's our well water), and phosphorus. Then low in others. I put in the recommended amendments as they prescribed and...WHAT a bunch of beautiful BUGS I grew. My plants were so sickly, that the bugs set up shop and tore my garden down. What I learned from talking to the guy that actually ran my test, in WV, was..if you monocrop then this would have been sufficient. But, if you grow as you do, mixing veggies throughout, you could have ONE bed or even 2 that is over-run, and the others could be drained. You will almost have to test each bed in order to get a true reading. OR dig them all out, as you said and start over. You may have only one bed that is hyper-Phosphorus, and the one next door might be normal or low. Because you do have raised beds, you cannot treat the entire garden systemically. They are not one unit. In the ground, you would be able to do such a test as you did, But, raised beds are completely different. Yes, its going to cost money doing that, but, it would be better to find out if the entire courtyard is messed up, or 1 bed, that can be isolated, and then you can grow sunflowers to drain the excessive nutrients out of the soil. But, you cannot compost or EAT sunflowers that are being used to clean the soil. They must be actually, burned. NOW, if you are not willing to go that far 😆I would take advantage of the situation and grow potatoes. They need high K and low N...I have been using Sprout Mountain potatoes, i have to tell you , their Red Norlands LOVE Florida winters! For the last 2 years, on January 1st, I have planted them, and they gave me loads and loads of big beautiful potatoes. If you are counting on certain vegetables for the winter, then I would consider bed isolation and just testing those beds for that crop. I would consider, because Norlands only need 7 inches of soil to grow in, lay them on the top of the soil, then cover with a plain, organic mushroom compost, pile it UP, and you will not need to hill. They will draw down the K levels because that is what they need. SORRY this is so long, but, WHOA Nelly! Slow it down! 😊
Haha! Thanks for the info. I like the idea of going slow and doing more specific tests. Sometimes less is more. So I think I’m just going to keep growing without adding anything and then retest separately. Also get my water tested too.
Very informative, Patrina. Seems to me you are still in the top of the excellent range as a gardener. I think I’d be pleased with the results you received albeit a minor amount of tweaking which certainly seems doable. As I’ve only been gardening for about 15 months I’m going to stick with the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach for now. I will be curious to follow any changes you find in your crops as you tweak all of this. On a lighter note I was hanging on your every word throughout this video then had to laugh at my level of nerding out. I truly enjoy learning all of this from you. Not so long ago I barely ever even noticed when our grass was in need of cutting now I’m totally invested in checking leaves, picking off bugs and researching whether they are good or bad…such fun. Hugs from Dunedin.
I’ll definitely keep you posted on the changes. I’m looking forward to re testing next summer to see how the changes affect the levels. And I’m a total garden nerd too. Never use to be but it’s all just so interesting!
Hmmm. Very enlightening. Thank you for your detailed breakdown on your soil. I think I will be a bit more careful with bone meal going forward. Thanks!
I loved epic garden beds but so expensive. Ended up getting less expensive grow bags on amazon. Pests and low productivity and tasteless watermelons 😢 Gotta test my soil
You will get a zinc release from the galvanized metal and a pH difference that work on the metal through electrolysis. Zinc is a sacrificial metal which is attacked first in the soil and we use anodes to prevent deterioration of our steel structures.
I have received my soil test last week. I need to meet with our Ext office for clarification. It’s confusing to me. I will now test my water. I would love to share with you.
I like mushroom compost. It has already been used to grow mushrooms so it seems less harsh? Idk but my plants have grown much better using it than it has when I was using normal compost. If your levels are high, maybe this would be better to use.
Excellent presentation. But I hope you realize that these numbers (as in medical blood tests etc etc) can vary so much at any given time. Our soil contains a lot of phosphates as the mining operations in Polk county showed by shipping it around the world. Even our rain water can at times be loaded. Remember in most cases, you are not growing crops that are conducive to Florida to begin with. Always amazed how well your back yard garden is producing. So don't get into the paralysis by analysis to get one more bean or beet from your garden. Just totally enjoy the experience and keep it up.
Great reminder. I just learned about the phosphate mine and there was one close by so now everything is making sense lol. I still want to get my well water tested because that could show some interesting info. I’m one of those people that just love research
Excellent video! I’m so lacking organic fertilizer info & this is very interesting. Do you have a particular source for soil information? Thank for the video.
UF test is $10 for Soil pH, Lime Requirement, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Mn, and Zn for home gardens. Seems all you really got extra is organic matter percentage. But at least you know why you're having problems
@@marilynearl2562they would have the bubbles or knots on the roots if it was RKN. That’s usually a pretty good indicator. Just in case you could add beneficial nematodes but it sounds like it might be a different issue.
This makes me question the tests we have access to from our big box stores…. Yes, I do wear a tin foil hat, but this proves to me the extent to which our govt is trying to work against us in our home gardens 🤷🏼♀️
The commercial home soil testing kits generally are not produced by the government. But regarding government resources, your county agricultural extension office is a great place to get your soil tested & be confident of the results.
Epic gardening Soil Testing Kit and Supplies - 5% off your purchase using discount code: HomegrownFlorida5
Or use this link shop.epicgardening.com/HOMEGROWNFLORIDA5
As an Epic Gardening Ambassador, I earn from qualifying purchases.
You could have gotten them same if not better from the university of Florida extension office for $10. Every county has a Department of Agriculture. You can download the form with how to take a soil sample and mail it back to them. They are in Florida and know what the soil should be like. They specifically outline on the form to take 10-15 soil samples. You might get them to do one also just to compare. A lot cheaper then $54.00
Exactly !
I thought the same too, so I just looked. They are 30$ on IFAS. Still cheaper than 54$.
UF/IFAS is a great resource to promote though! Why send to California
They cost a bit more in my area but they are a really good resource too. I really wanted to do this one because it showed more items than the ones they do. I did speak to them and they sent me a sample of what they include in their testing. I’ll probably use them every other year and this larger panel on the opposite years.
I agree! Why would you use someone in California when we can support our own Florida university extension.
Sunflowers can be used to clean soil through a process called phytoremediation. They can absorb heavy metals, salts, radiation, and other pollutants from contaminated soil. You can also use biochar, lettuce and legume cover crops.
Great information overall. I grow sunflowers throughout the year. West Central Florida,
Are you speaking of the Mexican sunflowers or the edible type?
@@scottburgle2169 Any of them will work. Just remember some sunflowers put off an inhibitor that can slow the growth of other plants. Also, obviously, don't compost the plant, bag it and trash it. I would use a type adapted to my area that are non-invasive. If you use ProCut varieties you'd at least get some beautiful cut flowers out of it.
Some other ideas for soil remediation include Jerusalem Artichokes, Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) and Groundhog Radish. Morgan County Seeds sells the latter under their cover crop section for $3.30 for a pound of seed. The deep tap root pulls up nutrition from deep underground. I'd use it after a few rounds of sunflowers to replenish nutrition.
@@wpc1013 Thank you soooo much!1!
Wow, very eye opening! I am getting my soil tested.
It’s a great way to figure out where your soil is at.
Be Careful ! Don’t forget how close you are in The Springhill area to all of the Phosphate Mines and how it’s leached into the ground water table.
I didn’t know that. I’m going to look into that right away
This is a very interesting insight. I’d love to know if you get your well water tested, whether the excess phosphorus is coming from that source. Thank you both for sharing!
@@sarahchambless3186I’ll keep you updated
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a thank you!
Wow! You've convinced me of the necessity of soil testing. Thank you.
It is so helpful. I’m so glad I did it.
Thanks for sharing
My pleasure
I am in agreement with testing beds individually. Maybe start with those you are having the most trouble with.
I do most of my gardening in containers as I too have the famous Florida sandy soil. When I do plant in ground plants that have larger roots systems I will dig a hole to however deep the plants roots are to go and then back fill with a compost, manure, peat moss, and/or some bagged garden or potting mix mixed in. For in ground shallow rooted plants just make shallow furrows and back fill with a nice bagged garden or potting mix.
Please keep us posted if you do water test.
I definitely will keep you updated. We have one ordered
We also need to consider the effects of chemtrail spraying and how that is affecting rainwater and soil!! They spray constantly here in Florida
Very informative 😊
Glad it was helpful!
You can easily solve the magnesium deficiency by sprinkling a little Epsom in your raised beds . I should do a soil test for my raised beds, you've given me food for thought lol.
Thanks for that tip. I’ll give that a shot.
This has been very informative. Thank you!
You are so welcome!
It’s going to be a grand experiment
For gardeners, most universities do soil analysis . Kansas State University does soil testing for $16.25 in my area. This is what they call the gardeners package it tests for NPK,OM, etc. I think you should have had each bed tested individually. I know my beds are surely different.I need to have all of them tested at some point.I know that excessive compost can lead to problem's so I have not used much since my in ground days. I have to admit that in 6 years of raised bed gardening, I have never had my beds tested. Everything grows wonderfully, so for now, at least I'm not concerned.
My in-ground soil here in NCFL is also very high in P. I switched to using a synthetic 12-0-12 fertilizer I get from WalMart. A combination of blood meal and kelp meal will do a similar thing (i.e. providing Nitrogen and Potassium without increasing P levels) if you prefer something organic (but it's also a lot more expensive).
Sounds like it must be a FL thing
I would not add sand, but take it easy on amendments for a year or two and retest. You could potentially add a small amount of top soil if you really want to lower the organic content, but I would go easy on that for sure. In my opinion, it is hard to have too much organic content. It will break down over time as well. So, I wouldn't be too concerned with being on the high side.
Thanks for the info. With all this great advice I’m leaning more towards just letting it be and retesting like you said
Great video! I have a few comments/ suggestions. I'm located just north of Sarasota. I got an extension soil test done when we first moved to this house built using trucked in fill dirt. It was very shelly so I was curious about its composition And compatibility with my tomatoes And HOA required lawn. My natural pH is 8.3. I have loads of natural phosphorus and the extension office told me that that's common in limestone soils in Florida. I have been adding elemental sulfur to my entire yard to reduce the pH. I also struggle to get micro minerals, especially iron in my soil and I found a citrus nutritional spray by Southern AG which has been helping to add iron as well as other things as a spot treatment, especially my trees. I had a maple which did really well in ground but my Holly and my Cape Jasmine require frequent acid producing fertilizers like hollytone. I only add bone meal to my container plants. Mostly peppers and tomatoes. They immediately die. If I put them in ground they can't tolerate that high pH. Plus though my soil is very sugar Sandy, The grade on my property is terrible and nothing drains. The best solution I have for that is to add compost which soaks up some of the water. I also want to add that I think sulfur lowers or acidifies your pH not the other way around. It's definitely your phosphorus that's increasing your pH, but I'm not sure the high sulfur is affecting it as much as you think. I could be wrong. And don't be embarrassed about your phosphorus levels, we are all Make mistakes and we are learning from you which I think is fantastic. I'm so glad you got a fancy soil test and shared your results with us. Please do continue to share your results as you modify your amendments next year as it helps us all grow. ❤❤🌱
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Sorry about the sulfur. I always say ph backwards 🤦♀️
Great info, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Another comment please. Please please definitely get your well, water tested! And share with us! If you have iron in your water I would love to know because I have no iron in my soil. You probably also have phosphorus in your water. I am so curious. Maybe somebody will sponsor you a water test so you can do a video! 🎉
My husband just bought one so we will be doing that soon. I’ll keep you posted
Thank you for taking the time to go through the results so thoroughly. One thing, however, requires correction. Unless the laws of nature are different in Florida, sulfur lowers pH rather than raising it. It is often used to lower pH for acid loving plants such as blueberries.
Sorry. I must have said that wrong. I always mess up PH levels. It’s similar to how I think you need to turn down the AC to make it warmer 🤦♀️
I came here to say the same thing. Had me confused for a few minutes. We add sulfur to the soil to lower the pH and increase acidity.
Your soil test shows you are doing a good job. Really all you need to do is not apply more P until it comes down. Apply Nitrogen as needed. Could add some epsom salt to increase Magnesium if you want. The three things soil test tells you is what not to add to your soil, what to add, and your pH. Compost will raise the P due to plants sort of using a ratio of 3:1:2(rule of thumb) and compost being 1:1:1. thus over time increasing P if additional N is not applied. The really high P levels in Ag is caused by over applying animal manures and grasses not being able to use it due to lack of N, causing pollution when the soil leaves the field with erosion.
That’s great news. So adding compost and blood meal should still be fine? Just no more bone meal?
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a Compost will not hurt much with the addition of blood meal. Blood meal is high in Nitrogen so that will help keep the P from getting worse. Really your levels are not real bad, and I think the bone meal is what caused the high P.
@@growyourownfood7814thanks for the great tips!
Hope you don’t lose the joy of gardening trying to get all in range. 😊
Nah. I’m just a bit of a nerd lol
This was interesting. I have only done the at home soil test with my water/soil meter. I only use Dr. Earth fertilizers, worm castings when I'm transplanting new plants, and in between, I use homemade compost, and homemade compost tea, aloe compost water, and fish fertilizer. I let the leaves on my plants tell me when it's time to add nutrients. If I were in your situation, I would add some of our native sandy soil to my beds before disturbing the soil by tilling it. I'm still waiting on some cooler weather before I start spending more time in the garden during the day. I'm still on my evening gardening scheduled, and having to deal with the mosquitoes in the evening. I just started a bunch of seeds indoors under grow lights. I will be cleaning up my raised beds and topping them off with compost to get them ready for fall gardening. Happy gardening, Petrina 😊
I’ve been going back and forth on whether to till or add sand but I’ve gotten a lot of good advice so I’m thinking I’m just going to ease up and not add any amendments and just test again in a year. Hopefully the high items naturally come down from the plants 🤞
There is a young man (25), that has a market garden I believe near you, his YT channel is "Growing Back to Eden Garden " he's such a good gardener. It's actually his ministry. Check him out. He came from Washington state and had to completely relearn gardening in our Florida soil. He m ay know exactly what you need to do with your soil. My Heart breaks for him because he's got lyme disease. It's a horrible disease 😞. ANYWAYS, Thanks for sharing, this is very interesting. ❤❤
I actually know Nick. I helped him harvest for market once when he was working with Pete at Green Dreams. He’s a nice guy.
I will be curious about the well water test as I’m also in Florida, northwest to be specific.
I’ll keep you updated once we get that done.
Thank you for this info. I have used soil test from the store myself thinking it was right. I will definitely use the other test.
Phosphorous does not leach into the soil very well, which is good. It is pretty immobile, but attaches to soil. When erosion happens, it takes the P with it. And 200 is not incredibly high. 400 ppm can cause some problems, but usually it is when it hits 1000 ppm it causes real problems. Nitrogen is very mobile in the soil, either leaching, running off, or going back into the atmosphere. That is why they usually do not test for it since it changes month to month if not week to week. Corn uses a lot of P so if you are really concern it will take a lot out of the soil.
I was definitely planning on growing corn next spring so that’s good to know.
Phosphorus is horrible for us in florida, it feeds the algae blooms and creates major issues for our water supply. We have to be careful with it because most of or soil is sand which holds nothing.
NOOO SAND! Oh my goodness it will turn your beds into concrete pits, even with the compost. 😆😆 I think you may be putting the cart before the horse. I did a soil test 2 years ago, just like you, grab some from this bed and that bed...My numbers came back on the excessive sides for some, like Iron (it's our well water), and phosphorus. Then low in others. I put in the recommended amendments as they prescribed and...WHAT a bunch of beautiful BUGS I grew. My plants were so sickly, that the bugs set up shop and tore my garden down. What I learned from talking to the guy that actually ran my test, in WV, was..if you monocrop then this would have been sufficient. But, if you grow as you do, mixing veggies throughout, you could have ONE bed or even 2 that is over-run, and the others could be drained. You will almost have to test each bed in order to get a true reading. OR dig them all out, as you said and start over. You may have only one bed that is hyper-Phosphorus, and the one next door might be normal or low. Because you do have raised beds, you cannot treat the entire garden systemically. They are not one unit. In the ground, you would be able to do such a test as you did, But, raised beds are completely different. Yes, its going to cost money doing that, but, it would be better to find out if the entire courtyard is messed up, or 1 bed, that can be isolated, and then you can grow sunflowers to drain the excessive nutrients out of the soil. But, you cannot compost or EAT sunflowers that are being used to clean the soil. They must be actually, burned. NOW, if you are not willing to go that far 😆I would take advantage of the situation and grow potatoes. They need high K and low N...I have been using Sprout Mountain potatoes, i have to tell you , their Red Norlands LOVE Florida winters! For the last 2 years, on January 1st, I have planted them, and they gave me loads and loads of big beautiful potatoes. If you are counting on certain vegetables for the winter, then I would consider bed isolation and just testing those beds for that crop. I would consider, because Norlands only need 7 inches of soil to grow in, lay them on the top of the soil, then cover with a plain, organic mushroom compost, pile it UP, and you will not need to hill. They will draw down the K levels because that is what they need. SORRY this is so long, but, WHOA Nelly! Slow it down! 😊
Haha! Thanks for the info. I like the idea of going slow and doing more specific tests. Sometimes less is more. So I think I’m just going to keep growing without adding anything and then retest separately. Also get my water tested too.
Very informative, Patrina. Seems to me you are still in the top of the excellent range as a gardener. I think I’d be pleased with the results you received albeit a minor amount of tweaking which certainly seems doable. As I’ve only been gardening for about 15 months I’m going to stick with the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach for now. I will be curious to follow any changes you find in your crops as you tweak all of this.
On a lighter note I was hanging on your every word throughout this video then had to laugh at my level of nerding out. I truly enjoy learning all of this from you. Not so long ago I barely ever even noticed when our grass was in need of cutting now I’m totally invested in checking leaves, picking off bugs and researching whether they are good or bad…such fun. Hugs from Dunedin.
I’ll definitely keep you posted on the changes. I’m looking forward to re testing next summer to see how the changes affect the levels. And I’m a total garden nerd too. Never use to be but it’s all just so interesting!
Hmmm. Very enlightening. Thank you for your detailed breakdown on your soil. I think I will be a bit more careful with bone meal going forward. Thanks!
I always thought I couldn’t over do it but I guess I was wrong 🤷♀️
I loved epic garden beds but so expensive. Ended up getting less expensive grow bags on amazon. Pests and low productivity and tasteless watermelons 😢
Gotta test my soil
I got my beds from Amazon too. But I adore their seed trays. I’m sorry about your melons 😢
You will get a zinc release from the galvanized metal and a pH difference that work on the metal through electrolysis. Zinc is a sacrificial metal which is attacked first in the soil and we use anodes to prevent deterioration of our steel structures.
I was curious if the beds could be contributing.
I have received my soil test last week. I need to meet with our Ext office for clarification. It’s confusing to me. I will now test my water. I would love to share with you.
Sure. Connect with me on Facebook or Insta and you can send it to me. I’m not an expert but I can try and help
Maybe till half the beds. Kind of an experiment
Oooh I love that idea. I’m totally doing that
Perhaps test your well water? I'm thinking it is guilty for some of this, thanks for sharing, wakes us up to get on the ball!
I’m suspecting that. My husband is ordering a water test soon. Hopefully it answers some of these questions
I like mushroom compost. It has already been used to grow mushrooms so it seems less harsh? Idk but my plants have grown much better using it than it has when I was using normal compost. If your levels are high, maybe this would be better to use.
I've heard that using epsom salts can be used to raise magnesium.
Thanks. I’ll give that a try
Excellent presentation. But I hope you realize that these numbers (as in medical blood tests etc etc) can vary so much at any given time. Our soil contains a lot of phosphates as the mining operations in Polk county showed by shipping it around the world. Even our rain water can at times be loaded. Remember in most cases, you are not growing crops that are conducive to Florida to begin with. Always amazed how well your back yard garden is producing. So don't get into the paralysis by analysis to get one more bean or beet from your garden. Just totally enjoy the experience and keep it up.
Great reminder. I just learned about the phosphate mine and there was one close by so now everything is making sense lol. I still want to get my well water tested because that could show some interesting info. I’m one of those people that just love research
Excellent video! I’m so lacking organic fertilizer info & this is very interesting. Do you have a particular source for soil information? Thank for the video.
Yes I do! I did a video on the different types of fertilizers I used in my garden. th-cam.com/video/myW7PHW_Lrs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=S9fmwhegHE-5o7H4
Epsom salt is high in Magnesium and doesn't hurt the soil.
Thanks. I’ll give that a shot
@@HomegrownFloridaZ9a I really enjoyed your video.
Use epson salt
Grow a lot of beans and lettuce this fall and they will help reduce that phosphorus.
Thanks! I will definitely do that.
Be very careful about sand and/or tilling, because you might wind up with a nematode issue, which is really a pain!
I totally didn’t think about that. Thank you. No sand for me
I was wondering if you ever had a problem with Nematodes in your beds and does this test show the presents of them?
No I haven’t. I think it’s because of the high organic material. They prefer to live in sand. The test would not show that.
If I were you, I'd do a search for Canadian soil scientist here on yt and reach out to her. I bet she'll be able to help you.
I’ll check her out. Thanks
UF test is $10 for Soil pH, Lime Requirement, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Mn, and Zn for home gardens. Seems all you really got extra is organic matter percentage. But at least you know why you're having problems
Sulphur LOWERS pH, it doesn't raise it .. 🤔 ~16mins
Yeah I said that backwards. Thanks for the clarification
Today is the 26th of August. Where's the link to the online conferences?
I think you might have meant this for someone else
I believe I have a problem with nematodes my avocado is dying and 2 of my mulberry’s died.
Can you add crushed up magnum tablets? I added crushed up tums to add calicum to my tomatoes
Did you see knots on the roots when you pulled out the plants?
The roots look fatter than normal and very minimal no small feeder roots
@@marilynearl2562they would have the bubbles or knots on the roots if it was RKN. That’s usually a pretty good indicator. Just in case you could add beneficial nematodes but it sounds like it might be a different issue.
Use a cover crop like mustard to rid them out the soil. Use the chop and drop method so the plant matter add nutrients into the soil
This makes me question the tests we have access to from our big box stores…. Yes, I do wear a tin foil hat, but this proves to me the extent to which our govt is trying to work against us in our home gardens 🤷🏼♀️
I’m afraid I don’t understand. Could you explain how this proves anything like you’re saying
The commercial home soil testing kits generally are not produced by the government. But regarding government resources, your county agricultural extension office is a great place to get your soil tested & be confident of the results.