I have 2 small food plots to work with on 8.5 acres. 7 years ago they both tested at 7.0 ph. I planted a lot of different plants over the years. This year I had problems with the plants growing in both plots. 1 had a grass seed in the seed that over took the whole plot, accept where I tried to grow some sweet corn. The corn barely got 14 inches tall. The other plot I grew rape, turnips and clover from south to north. All the rape and most of the turnips were stunted and grew only 3 inches tall. I had 2 small fires prior to tilling and in both spots the turnips grew great. closer to the north side where nothing was ever planted before the turnips grew great. So i had the plot soil tested, 7.8 where the corn was and 7.5 where the rape and turnips barely grew. I added a good amount of compost to both plots. The test came back that I didn't need nitrogen. Calcium and Mag. were high. Should I try to adjust the PH levels in these plot? Will that help? I have sprinklers so its not lack of water. After the soil test results came back I tested the water at 8.2 ph. I think thats why over the years the ph went up. Next year I want to grow field corn where its 7.8 and chicory with clover where its 7.5. Thank you for your help.
7.8 ph. Should I try to adjust it?
- Thread starter fishinjoe
- Start date
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
Yep, the water is your issue. If you want to water, see if you can find a different water source. Rain water would help as it is slightly acidic. You don't mention your overall approach, but I would consider going to no-till. It conserves water so you may be able to reduce or eliminate watering depending on your situation.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Your magnesium could be too high as well
GivingBack
New Member
Hey, first let me say that I will try to answer the question you are asking..... My answer is ... I can't answer your question because there are too many variables..... unfortunately, growing anything in the ground requires many things to happen be correct. However, let's look at what things we know about your situation.. you mentioned soil ph of 7.8, most vegetables especially those you are trying to grow best in slightly acidic soil around 6.5, so a short answer to your question is yes you need to correct your ph for best crop performance. However, I want to comment on something you mentioned. The spots that grew better where you had burn piles... As a rule... ashes raise soil ph, meaning that you should have higher ph in those spots and since your soil is already higher then why would the crops grow better in even higher ph? Doesn't make sense, but in addition to raising ph, ashes also do something else, they bring carbon, calcium and potassium, so maybe that is something to investigate. The last thing ash does is work as a natural pesticide for snails, grubs, etc that eat the roots of your plants stunting growth, again, something to investigate... You said the grass grew well, Most grasses like a ph around 6.5 also, but grass has very short root systems and also are not as sensitive to other problems, so more to investigate, sorry... finally you mentioned tilling and watering, which in certain cases can be good things, but they bring their own set of problems. Since you didn't go into detail about these two things, I can't really comment except to tell you about a couple inherent problems, compaction and sealing. You can do some research on these subjects, but I can say from my own experience that over tilling and over watering are just as bad as never doing it at all... To my point you mention the north area where nothing was planted before but the plants grew well. Sorry my response was so long but I wanted you to understand what you are up against because I have fought it for years.. My best advice is go to your local seed store or ag agent and have a long talk with them. Since they should have experience with farmers in your area they may know of a problem more prevalent in your area as Drycreek mentioned.. Good luck
Jsteinke5188
New Member
Every spring, I'm picking up a pallet of lime! still in the low 6s every year.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Are you missing topsoil? That could be a culprit too.
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