TOPIC: Soil analysis' are back.

Guys, I sent out boucoups soils samples from my patches. Got them back just the other day....and thought I'd share the interesting info from these.

Please remember that I have used the previous soils samples from the past two years as a model. I'd spent a lot of time checking those and having free axcess to these sample analysis' is a great thing [thank you to NC Dept of AG].

By the way , I found it very very tricky to apply organic soil amendments when the slopes are covered with winter precip!!! No s#^t! Wearing a sprayer during those conditions is no fun. Even spreading granulated stuff is not easy.

I put down almost an exact amount of organic amendments to our second patch. I kept meticulous records as to what when down and where --from patch one. These were applied from late fall to late winter. The weather [snow/ice/rain] was counted on to \"grind\" it down past the leaf clutter and into the soil there.

I was very happy to get the results back. what was a very very acidic soil [3.8 pH] is now an acceptable range for out favorite crop: 4.8 - 5.3 pH. Ca came up for the single digits to around 50% . I still need to work on the Ca, however, am pretty happy to see these values.

Patch one is doing pretty good as well. didn't have to add too much to it, and my pH is around 5.5. My Ca has come up even further, and I'm glad to see it.

Are you guys checking things like this? I'd enjoy hearing about that if you are.

I checked my soil with home testing kits. I didn't have any intention of making any amendments to the soil since I'm doing wild sim, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't throwing seeds at sterile ground to die.

Ittiz- what ere your values? PH? Ca?

I posted it on here last fall. My pH was between 6 and 6.5. I wasn't able to find a test for calcium sad to say. From what I've read the pH range seems to indicate there will be adequate Calcium.
I was able to test for all the other regular garden nutrients though, which were all in the adequate range. The only thing that was \"low\" was nitrogen and I seem to remember hearing ginseng forms mycorrhiza, so that shouldn't be an issue I don't think.

With how think things are in the woods I can see how it'd be difficult applying fertilizer and what not. Planting the ginseng was hard enough for me. I had a couple light snows before I got it all planted.

Hey Guys...

The hollow that I have done most of my planting in (10 lbs of seed so far)...

It initially tested at

5.8 on PH
11 on Phosphorus
120 on Potassium
1472 on Calcium
236 on Magnesium

There was some wild ginseng growing there in just a few places and some were decent 3 prongs producing berries. There is some spotted locations of maidenhair fern (my favorite companion plant) and other companion plants too.

When I planted my first 4 lbs of seed, I put down both bonemeal (high in calcium and phosphorus) and Gypsum which is also high in calcium.

Each spring after that - I have been putting down a decent application of Gypsum only (Mid Feb)... about a month before the first early birds start coming up.

I have not been doing any fall applications of supplements, and I have not sprayed anything for disease or done anything else to them. Just watched them grow.

I have not re-checked the soil test either - probably should but they seem to be growing OK so I have just let that slide for now.

At 2 year old, something like 50-60% of them were nice little 2 prongs, and at 3 years old I have seen some nice 3 prongs that are going to produce seed this year. I can see the little flower spike already and some of those are 8\" tall or better (last weekend) and have not completely stretched and filled out yet.

There were not near as many 3 prongs as I was hoping for, but they were still coming up too so I am going to check back in another week or two and get a count on those again.

Best of luck to us all !

TNhunter

PS - below is a pic of some of my 3 year olds.

Man those plants look greats...

Meant \"look great\" I have been thinking I should get a soil analysis done before I plant this fall. To most folks do this? I don't plan on adding to many amendments to my soil but I think it might help me to find better spots to plant.

1 Sly- How will you know if you don't have a soil analysis done? I mean, if your plants fail for some reason, you would [IMHO] want to know it wasen't the soil.

As far as amendments to the soil... there are organic, and all the rest of the soil amendments. My approach is organic... and I am staying away from pesticides/herbicides/and all those \"cide\" things. I am using the woods-grown rating, and am thinking that this will be the best in the long run.

When I sent off my soil sample results for the farm this spring I saw the ginseng code number and thought I need to send some from my seed beds too but, alas I forgot.

I am going to take a soil sample from the best patch of sang that I've ever found and have an extensive test run on it just to see what the results are. I have taken some giant sang out of this gound so I would assume there is something there that it really likes and I can't think of a better way to know what kind of soil requirements it likes than to take it from the \"horses mouth\". Now, I just have to find the time and energy to hike all the way in to get a hand full of dirt.

Heck I might even start putting ziplock bags in my backpack and just take samples at every amazingly good patch of sang that I find.

Hunter,

I have a ziplock bag full of soil from the location where I found the roots below growing (not too far from my home)...



Problem is... It is still setting on the shelf in my home office.

It is rock chip filled and from the soil that had accumulated low on a limestone bluff so I expect it is high in calcium.

One of these days I will get around to sending it off. Like you said - this would be straight from the horses mouth.

When you do get yours sent off and tested - be sure and share the results here and I will do the same.

Thanks

TNhunter