I Got Nothing...
I'm not going to lie, coming up with a topic for this week has been challenging. I usually get inspiration from things I've been doing or things I've been questioned about in the previous week. But these past couple weeks have been doozies.
I have dealt with everything from gray mold on strawberries, hail damage on lettuce, making fertilizer recommendations, nailing down seeding rates, explaining my opinion on sap and Brix testing, etc. I've been to pasture walks and spoke for the Williamsport Herb Guild. I've touched base with clients and needless to say I came up with lots of topics and still no real inspiration as to exactly what to write about.
To cap off the week, I spent 4 hours updating the terms, conditions, and privacy policy for the website to be in compliance with the GDPR. Don't ask me what that stands for, I'm not good with acronyms or military time. All I know is feel free to stop reading at any point, feel free to unsubscribe at any point, feel free to not deal with me at any point. I will not be offended, TRUST ME! If you do stay, you will hear some ranting and you will wear down your red pen fixing typos. But hopefully, you will also get at least one piece of something that will help you to be the best farmer, grower, or producer you want to be.
So, when it came to writing a post, I was just not feeling it...
Then while I was taking pictures of my peonies after I had told my husband I was writing, I thought "Give them something useful. Something practical. Something to help them through the season." Then they can unsubscribe to go look for a highly trained world-renowned agronomist. Just kidding.
“Well-fed plants are usually less susceptible to soil-borne organisms than are poorly nourished plants. Good fertility may so enhance the resistance of the (host)plant that the parasite can not successfully attack the roots.”
It can be said that having a well-nurished plant will deter insect and other disease issues as well.
Earlier this week I shared a liquid fertilizer program for strawberries. You can go to this link and sign up for the newsletter to get a printable copy.
https://www.theaccidentalagronomist.com/news/
This year growers I work with have had success in high tunnels, while those growing outside have been challenged. The weather is a dominant factor for the challenges. Sometimes all we can do is mitigate the best we can, looking ahead to the next crop.
So that leads me to give you some suggestions of things you can have on hand to help grow through any up and coming challenges that might be on the horizon. I've also tried to make them things that could be readily available at any home and garden or farm store.
Kelp Meal/Kelp Liquid
Anyone that has been around me for five minutes knows I like kelp. It is effective and multi-purposeful.
Kelp is not curative, however, it can be used to help boost a plant's immune system helping it to get through periods of stress. It has growth simulant hormones called cytokinins, gibberellins, and auxins that encourage cell health, strength, and growth.
It has insect repellant properties due to the fact it has iodine which has been shown to deter sucking and piercing insects. I do caution that it is only effective if we use it judiciously. I have growers that use it in the insecticide box when planting corn. The first year the rate would be 6-8#/ac. If planting corn after corn, which is never recommended, however, sometimes practiced, the rate would need to increase to 10-15#/ac.
Just as other chemistries, its overuse can diminish its efficacy.
That being said, I add 1-2oz of liquid kelp per gallon to any irrigation water I'm using in my containers and vegetable garden. I generally water with it every 7-10 depending on rain amounts, which equals out to be roughly every other time I water.
The meal can be steeped in water/vinegar to make the liquid, leaving you with the meal to use as an amendment and the liquid to water with.
For example:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup kelp meal
Let steep for several days, drain off the liquid and add 1-2oz. per gallon of water and apply every 7-10 days or as needed.
The meal can be used at the time of planting or as a side dress throughout the growing season.
Aragonite/Oyster Shell
Aragonite can be harder to find, but well worth the effort. Oyster shell would be a good substitute. Both are an excellent source of calcium and can be used dry or steeped in vinegar. This could be good for tomatoes when they are lacking calcium showing signs of Blossom End Root(BER). BER is really not a calcium issue but an irrigation one. However, a quick readily available calcium application can help the plant get through it and keep producing. I think I sense another idea to write about...
For example:
1 cup aragonite/oyster shell
1 cup vinegar
Let steep for several days, drain off the liquid and add 1-2oz. per gallon of water and apply every 7-10 days or as needed.
5% - 10%Vinegar
This has a multitude of uses. You can use it in liquid fertilizer blends to stabilize a mix and help balance the pH. It can be a good liquid to use an as extractant, like with kelp meal and aragonite. If used appropriately it will have a nominal effect on water pH but not to a level that would be detrimental. However, always use caution and test pH of any irrigation system and soil regularly.
Liquid Fish
There are several formulations on the market. I look for one that has sulfate of potash (SOP) and kelp in it. If you can find one with sodium nitrate, then that is an added bonus. It is a great stand-alone fertilizer however, I have growers using it in the following mix and see great results.
Liquid Fish Blend:
1-2 gallon liquid fish
1-2 quart liquid kelp
1 pint 5-10% Vinegar
5 pounds sugar or 1-3 oz. molasses per gallon(optional, but recommended)
Add 1-2oz. per gallon of water and apply 1-2 times during the growing season dependant on the crop and soil tests.
Another blend that is easy to mix yet effective is
Fish/Kelp Blend:
1/2 Fish Fertilizer
1/2 Liquid Kelp
Add 1-2 oz. per gallon of water and apply every 7-10 days, or as needed.
This is great for transplanting or times of stress, fertilizing and stimulating growth at the same time.
As always soil and tissue testing are recommended before implementing any type of program. These are merely suggestions and not an exhausted list of things you could potentially have on hand. If you are experiencing challenges, a call to your local extension office or an agronomist might be necessary before making any fertilizer/amendment applications as well.
*Please take cation as to the time of day you apply liquids when using as a fertilizer, early morning is optimal, or in the evening.
Once I have recovered from the whole GDPR thing, I'll put together a PDF with the information in this post. At that time you will be asked to subscribe to my newsletter to get it. Then, once you have done that and gotten your free printable fertilizer recipe PDF you can unsubscribe, no hard feelings.
As always, if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. Better yet send pictures and we can talk through some issues you might be having.
