Spil Test results

[Barndog56]

Below are my results from Logan Labs.

The Orchard has never been tilled, limed, or fertilized. Sprayed gly 4 years ago and broadcast ladino and alfalfa. Spread some red clover last spring to fill in where the ladino was fading.

The Garden was sprayed with gly 4 years ago, and then tilled and planted. A couple inches of horse manure were added in the fall, and tilled again in spring of year 2. It was not tilled in year 3 or 4. Horse manure added each fall, then plants are mulched with lawn clippings.

Manure must be loaded with phosphorous and zinc. Looks like I'm in serious need of sulfur, along with some boron and copper.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the current state of my soil considering the sand I started with.

 

[JFK52]

You are just South from my land in Portage county near Almond. This area of Wisconsin is referred to as the "Central Sands" region. So I know exactly what you are talking about when you say you started with sandy soil. I am lucky to get paper mill sludge dumped on my fields every 4-5 years. This is a great free amendment to the soil. I filled out a lot of paper work with the DNR for this free fertilizer and had to get any neighbor within 500 feet of a spread field to sign off on the spreading. Only one neighbor is within that distance and to my surprise she signed off on it.

 

[Barndog56]

Nice, I bet that helps your OM a lot.

Stopped by the local FS today. Purchasing the 4 minerals my orchard soil is lacking, sulfur, copper, boron, and zinc, would cost me $281 for 1.5 acres worth.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

With the way diesel fuel is today everyone who doesn't add sulfur is low.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

If the end result of low sulfur is because of the changes we've made to emission standards.

How did plants acquire their needed sulfur pre-man?

Just think there is something we have to be missing.

 

[Sconnie]

My understanding is lightning strikes produce sulfur. However nature only produces what nature needs, crops/food plots are different than native vegetation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Barndog56]

Most people get away with sulfur deficiencies by spoon feeding their plants the nitrogen needed for plant growth. The plants suck up that nitrate or ammonia, and sulfur isn't required. But you have to add nitrogen again to feed the next crop, and so on and so on.

However, if you are trying to create quality soil, where the soil biology will feed your plants the nutrients they require, then sulfur is needed to process nitrogen into available forms that the plants can use. Supply the biology with the sulfur and other minerals it needs, and the biology will grab nitrogen right out of the air in your soil, or from your legume nodules, process it, and feed it to your plants. Add the sulfur required in year 1, and let the biology work. The sulfur won't even need to be reapplied again each year, as long as you follow good soil health practices.

The key to mineral fertilization is that you are giving the soil biology what it needs to feed your plants. Instead of using the NPK shortcut to feed your plants directly.