| |
|
Entry Date
|
Nick Name
|
Location
|
|
Monday, August 18, 2025
|
|
Dumpking
|
Penn Valley, CA
|
 |
Entry 27 of 28 |
 |
|
|
|
|
I've always just done spring and fall soil tests but decided to try taking a sample a week or so ago from underneath my plant canopy along my drip tape lines. When I got the sample back I almost didn't believe it was my soil. I have a very heavy, high magnesium, high CEC soil. My philosophy has always been to front load fertility, push high organic matter through compost and cover crops, and feed very minimally through the growing season. I run approximately 425 gallons of water per day to the 3000 square foot patch. Fertilizers applied before the sample were probably a couple gallons of 6-5-6, some kelp, humic, and other biologicals. I also had been adding 1/4 cup of fertibor, 1/8 cup zinc sulfate, 1/8 cup manganese sulfate, and 1/10 cup copper sulfate to the patch each week. The plants don't look like hungry, but this really has me thinking. Granted, the sample was taken along the drip tape lines, so I think this skews the numbers down a bit, but I think this really shows how much fertility a big plant can pull from even a really heavy soil. I'm going to bump my fertilizer a bit from here out after seeing this.
|
|
|
