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My dead dirt - a report

W

wordwiz

Last summer, I posted about part of my garden in which not even weeds would grow. I had a basic soil analysis performed by Michigan State University (apparently, OH State don't know dirt!) and nothing is really whacked up. Need a little of this, little of that but nothing major.

When I sent the sample, on the advice of the local office, I included a letter detailing the inability of the soil to hold moisture or support plant life past the germination stage. I was expecting something to point me in the direction of what is needed.

The report is a pdf file (14) available here.

Looks like I am back to square one. :(

Mike
 
I don't know, Mike, 7.9 pH is pretty alkaline, isn't it? And can't high alkalinity create problems with salinity?

Sorry, I don't mess with soil ph much, I'm just trying to throw some ideas out there.
 
Pam,

I'm open to ANY ideas. Soil & Water Agency said to add peat moss.

In checking some other norms, the calcium level and exchange rate are both high. Normal Ca range is 700-1300, mine is 1734. The Exchangable Base (how well the soil supplies nutrients) norms for Ca is 40-80%, I'm at 88.

Potassium is also on the low side for the EB: should be 1-9%, mine is 1.7. Magnesium rate should be 10-40%, I'm at 10.3. The pH may play a part in this since a high rate means nutrients are not available to the plant.

But none of this explains much why plants, including weeds will not grow at all. I get larger plants in the cracks in my driveway than I do in the part of the garden.

The County Extension Agent and horticultural expert is suppose to call me. My gut tells me the problem is the high percentage (>96%) of silt. It will not hold moisture. We had nearly 20" of snow and ice that accumulated this winter then thawed slowly, seeping into the ground. Expectations would have been that the soil be muddy for several days - it was dry the second day.

Mike
 
Hm, so it sounds like any kind of mulch worked in would be of benefit.

I'm still very curious about this, so do keep posting.
 
One other thing, I do not think it is contaminants. Last year I needed soil for my containers and didn't want to buy 1000 quarts of top or potting soil. Instead, I mixed some of that dirt along with some Sphagnum Peat Moss and potting soil, but most of it was that dirt. The peppers did decently.

Mike
 
is this just dirt in your yard that you turned into a garden or did you buy this dirt somewhere?



maybe you could mix in some grass clippings during the spring to give it some 'hold' for water??


just need a higher quality 'weed'....
 
peter pepper said:
is this just dirt in your yard that you turned into a garden or did you buy this dirt somewhere?

maybe you could mix in some grass clippings during the spring to give it some 'hold' for water??

just need a higher quality 'weed'....
Click to expand...

The dirt has been there for more than 20 years - I've lived here that long. I plan on mixing in some peat moss and compost this spring.

chicagofire said:
a friend had a similar problem and it turned out to be a tiny natural gas leak. Is that possible in your situation?
Click to expand...

No, the gas runs from the front of the house to the road, the garden is behind the house.

Mike
 
I'd say you're right on target with the peat. It's naturally acidic so it should lower your pH and it holds moisture like a sponge. Yep, peat ought to do it.

Good luck!
 
patrick said:
I'd say you're right on target with the peat. It's naturally acidic so it should lower your pH and it holds moisture like a sponge. Yep, peat ought to do it.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Sounds good.

What about doing a 1' tall raised bed? That way you will have all new soil above the crappy stuff. How big is the area?
 
Mike...I have followed your issues with the soil since I joined the forum and now it is time to think out of the box...could it be a magenetic field or some other electro environmental effects going on there....are there any high lines or other high power transmission lines close to where you live?
 
Josh said:
Sounds good.

What about doing a 1' tall raised bed? That way you will have all new soil above the crappy stuff. How big is the area?
Click to expand...

Josh,

I'm considering a 1/2 foot lowered bed! When I tilled the area last summer, the top 5-6 inches were like chopping through sand - no resistance. But after that, the ground was hard as a rock, though that was probably because it was baked. I'm curious to see how tall the wheat gets in the next few weeks. If it grows as it should, I'll skip adding peat, compost and the old dirt.

AlabamaJack said:
Mike...I have followed your issues with the soil since I joined the forum and now it is time to think out of the box...could it be a magenetic field or some other electro environmental effects going on there....are there any high lines or other high power transmission lines close to where you live?
Click to expand...

AJ,

I know you have. There is something because the line of demarcation, so to speak, is so darn distinct. But no power lines, no trees, a small garage on the north side that may block a bit of air but then there is a wooden fence just west of the garage that blocks just as much air and sunlight. I can move two feet down from the area and have great soil - it's almost like a glacier stopped in my back yard.

It would be easy to say that backwashing the pool for a decade caused this, but the water went to maybe 1/3 of the area involved, so that theory doesn't wash (poor pun). Nothing makes sense, except the glacier and that is so far off the wall as to be one of Iggy's hallucinations (sorry, Iggy!).

I'm sticking with the theory that because the soil is almost 100 percent silt is why nothing will grow. Why it is that way and the dirt a yard away isn't is a mystery. But as I told one soil expert, I mixed the dirt with potting soil, top soil and peat moss in my containers for my peppers and they grew. Sort of eliminates contaminants in the soil.

If our county extension agent would get over having a street named for him and actually do something to earn his salary, I might have a better idea. But in the meantime, all I can do is experiment and post results.

Mike
 
I hear you bro...just thinking in Iggy land now...
 
Peat and maybe some fine powdered clay. I like your idea of digging down a bit maybe even go down to the hard pan and build up from there heck you could turn the worst into the best with some work with the shovel. Gypsum on top of the hard pan will help break it up over time as well.
I really respect all of the effort your joy of gardening has lead you to.
Jim
 
Jim,

Thanks! I may have hit the hardpan though six inches doesn't sound very deep IME. I know the characteristics of the soil changed tremendously. Ideally, what I should do is as soon as the ground dries out and unfreezes is to dig a bit out, going as deep as a 5-gallon container and fill a pot. I have some beans and peas I can plant and by the middle of May, I would know if they will grow (productively) to maturity. If they do, I grow in that area this year and use the dirt I removed to add to a compost pile, a layer at a time.

It's a little over 120 sq. ft. of room I really need!

Mike
 
An update.

I have lots of the garden that is covered with clay so I decided to move the dirt I piled last summer on top of it.

The dirt - that last year would not grow weeds, has lots of vegetation on the top of it now and lots of roots, maggots, live things in it now.

This leads me to believe that the dirt itself is not at fault, but what is under it. This is sort of borne out by the attempt to grow winter wheat. It sprouted but never grew to anything approaching the height and greenness of the rest of the area that was sown.

For the record, in the long run it doesn't make any difference as that part of the garden will be home to my greenhouse and I will grow plants either in containers or via hydro. But I'm still trying to figure out why nothing would grow there in the past.

Mike
 
That sounds like an even better plan. If you can't get anything to grow in the dirt, build something on top of it that will!

Good luck with the greenhouse set up when you put it in.
 
Another update:

It has risen from the dead!!!

Peas and green beans, along with more weeds than I need, now live in the formerly dead soil. Carrots are up, but it's too early to say how they will do.

A guy from another forum (actually a software one) really urged me to avoid using peat, claiming it really is not renewable. I agreed not to, partially because I didn't want to spend money. But the compost, wheat roots, mixing the old dirt with other stuff, seems to be working. The peas are almost ready to pick and the green beans have some early pods with hundreds of blooms.

Mike
 
Now that's some darn fine news, congrats Mike. How does it feel to have years of frustration lifted off of you?

I don't mean to sound paranoid but are you sure you should eat anything that was grown there?;):P
 
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