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Old November 2, 2010   #5
fortyonenorth
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NW Indiana
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Regarding the soil test, the two things that jump out at me immediately (and these go hand-in-hand) are the % organic matter and the CEC (Cation Action Capacity). Are you familiar with CEC? It's the ability of your soil to hold nutrients. Think of it as a bucket - the larger the bucket (CEC) the more nutrients it can hold. Adding organic matter will raise your CEC. The ideal % organic matter is somewhere between 4-10%. I would recommend planting a cover crop and/or adding composted manure. I assume it's too late to plant hairy vetch - even in Virginia - but you could still plant winter rye. That would be a good start.

Your "Percent Base Saturation" numbers are in the ballpark. K is a bit low, but not dramatically. Mg and Ca should equal about 80% - some sources cite 68% Ca and 12% Mg as "ideal." Some of your trace minerals are high, but I assume this is because of the low % of organic matter in your soil. As your % OM and CEC numbers rise, I think the trace numbers will fall into line. Boron is a bit low, but it's easy to over do it, so you should do some research before adding it to your fields.

I'm not an expert on this, but I think your chief concern should be to build organic matter. Since you're doing this as a serious pursuit, you should really consult an agronomist for recommendations. It's not expensive ($30-$50). There are plenty of independent agronomists out there who aren't pitch-men. If you'd like any recommendations, send me a PM and I can suggest a few.

Good luck!
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