Getting the Soil Ready for Organic Gardening
Proper soil preparation is the key to successful organic gardening. The goal is to feed the soil, which in turn will feed your plants. Begin by testing your soil to find out precisely what you’ve got to work with. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service. Most counties and some universities have one; look in the phone book under “Cooperative,” “Extension” or your county name to find out what is required for a soil test. Home test kits are available at garden-supply stores, but their results are not as accurate or complete. A soil test will measure pH, the soil’s acidity or alkalinity. The recommended pH for a vegetable garden is 6.8. The test results should include guidelines for adjusting the pH, for example, how much lime to add to acid soils or how much sulfur to add to alkaline soils. Both are available at gardening centers. The test also should analyze the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium and other elements in the soil that are critical for healthy plants. The testing agency may suggest nutriments to balance these elements; when you mail off your sample, be sure to enclose a note stating that you intend to garden organically so the tester does not suggest chemicals.
Some of the nitrogen sources the tester may suggest can be problematic, especially for vegetarians: Bone meal is a slaughterhouse byproduct, fish emulsion is a fish-processing byproduct, cottonseed meal is subject to heavy pesticide use and urea, or crystallized animal urine, is so processed it can no longer be considered even remotely natural. If nitrogen is a problem for your soil, and you are opposed to using animal byproducts, your best bet may be to plant a nitrogen-fixing cover crop this first year and start your vegetables the next. When gardeners speak of a soil, they are referring to earth that looks, feels and smells pleasant. That means fertile soil, with good structure depending on the extent to which the inorganic soil particles; sand, silt, clay, and humus are bound together. No matter what kind of miserable soil you begin with, it can be transformed into the stuff great gardens are made of.
You also should test the soil’s percentage of organic matter, or decomposed plant material. There are different levels of consideration according to your area that will determine if a soil is organic. The best organic matter to fertilize your garden with is compost. As a new gardener, you may not have compost of your own yet, but we’ll help you out with that a little later in the book.
Composting involves recycling of natural matter like vegetable peels, coffee grounds, and egg shells. All of these will provide nutrients to the soil that a successful organic gardener knows are of paramount importance! When you till up your plot, work in some loose topsoil along with natural organic matter into the existing soil. Horse or cow manure will work the best here. Find a local farmer and ask if you can buy some dung from him. If you don’t have any of these available to you, most local garden centers will have some natural additives that you can till into the soil. You can also use leaves or grass clippings.
By tilling this organic matter into the soil, the organic material will form moisture-holding humus in the soil and the loose structure will permit good drainage. Plus, it can provide needed nutrients to your plants and help them thrive as they grow.
You can make your own organic fertilizer as well. We’ll give you a couple of great “recipes” in later sections.
Be careful that you don’t dig up your plot too soon in the season. Cool spring soil holds moisture, and disturbing wet soil will damage its structure. We found one tip online that can help you determine whether or not your soil is ready for tilling.
Jim Crockett, former Public Broadcasting System gardener extraordinaire, suggests that before digging you take “the chocolate cake test”: If the soil has the consistency of moist chocolate cake, it’s safe to dig. If it’s more like fudge, wait until the soil has dried out to cake consistency.
Soil is structured in layers, and it’s best not to disturb those layers. Dig down just far enough to remove clods of grass, weeds and root masses, shaking and pounding out as much dirt as possible back into your garden. Save the grass for composting.
After the dirt is prepared, let the garden rest for a couple of days before planting.
It’s almost time to plant!
Jaden Santon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/getting-the-soil-ready-for-organic-gardening-736524.html
Cat has ringworm & lime sulfur dip turned lesions white?
Cat Ringworm Problems
I administered prescription lie sulfur dip to my cats ringworm areas (around and on ears, and on neck) using cotton balls tonight, and the dip turned his skin yellow except for the lesions of ringworm; they turned bright white. I want to make sure this is normal? He became extremely fussy after I applied the dip to him, but I have heard that is common. I just want to make sure I did not hurt him. Thank you.
Vet Cat Ringworm Remedies
Yes, those are normal reactions to the LS Dip. Did your vet give you a cream or gel or spray to go along with the dip? I hope so. Dips aren’t long lasting. You have to apply some sort of medication to the lesions 2-3 times a day.
You can either ask your veterinarian for it or you can get OTC anti-fungal/athlete’s foot cream and it works for ringworm. Even tells you right on the tube that it works for ringworm. I work around it a lot and get RW 2-3 times a year and I just keep athlete’s foot cream in my medicine cabinet.
Best Cat Ringworm Treatment
Pets’BestRx Ringworm Super Pack for Cats is designed for people who have larger breeds of cats or several cats with mild cases of Ringworm. This pack focuses on attacking the Ringworm HEAD-ON. It’s easy-to-use, safe and works quickly. Ringworm doesn’t have a chance with our Ringworm Super Pack for Cats.
Heals the Sores and Prevents Infections
- Gives your pet a health coat and skin after the ringworm has gone
- Your pet will become less irritable because they are no longer feeling bad
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- Prevent pet owner embarrassment from ringworm hair loss.
Will lime sulphur get rid of rust fungus in Colorado spruce trees?
If so how much should I use on each tree and how often should I use it.
Mark,
fungicides used to control rust on Colorado Blue Spruce should be sprayed in spring as the new needles begin to elongate. Dry wettable sulfurs are available under many trade names. The microfine wettable sulfurs are usually much less injurious to foliage than liquid lime sulfur, but their use during hot weather (above 80 F) may result in some leaf burning. Flowable sulfurs are also available from several manufactures. The most common formulation is the 6F which contains 6 pounds of sulfur per gallon. Due to smaller particle size, flowable sulfurs may be a bit more efficacious than wettable powders. Flowable sulfurs are often preferred to wettable powders because they do not create dusts that can be inhaled during loading and measuring operations. A major problem with the use of sulfur as a fungicide is the lack of residual protectant activity. Sulfur only provides about 3-5 days of protection. I’ve seen mixed results from sulfur used as a fungicide to control rust on other plants. There are many different rusts, and therefore, many different fungi that cause rust. Rust on Colorado Blue Spruce is generally not a common problem, so you are not going to find a lot of info on the efficacy of sulfur/lime. I wish I could tell you this will work, but I think you are just going to have to try it to find out. Use enough to wet out all sides of the new needles.
Plant damage caused by lime-sulfur is most severe during dry weather when temperatures reach 80 degrees to 95 degrees F. Spray early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid burning of foliage. Lime-sulfur is corrosive to the eyes and harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin. Appropriate precautions according to the label should be taken when applying lime-sulfur. Thoroughly read the label before purchasing, handling, or applying lime-sulfur.
