Knowledgebase

Adding Potash to Garden #746050

Asked April 24, 2021, 12:54 PM EDT

For our Garden in sandy soil. My Soil test says we should add 0.2 lbs of nitrogen per 100 sq ft + ) Phosphate + 1.00 lbs Potash per 100 sq ft. What type of Potash will work for this and how is it apply or mixed in? Can we purchase Potash product and if so what kinds to look for. The do we spread it before planting and till the garden or how to apply correctly

Stearns County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thank you for writing.

Potash or nitrogen-potash is easily  found at garden stores.

You will see three numbers  10 0 10 for example on fertilizers. for Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash. https://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/label.htm#:~:text=All%20fertilizer%20labels%20have%20three,)%20%2D%20potassium(K))

Most soil here is saturated with phosphate which is harmful to waterways.  

You are looking for something roughly 10-0-50 or 5-0-25 for your garden.
If you tell me the square footage of your garden, I could answer more clearly.

Best to you.

 

Hi Steve 

Garden is approx. 45 ft wide x 60 ft long  or 2,700 sq ft estimate
We like to make Salsa and sauces so we plant roma tomatoes onions, many types of peppers ( green, banana, jalapeno, ti, and several others) and we plant peas, wax beans, green beans, carrots etc.  And we have an area where we plant vine type items like cucumber, zucchini, squash and sometimes pumpkins and muskmelons ( only had one good year with the pumpkins and muskmelons.

For the Potash, how and when do we apply it ? 
  • apply on top of soil like lawn fertilizer?
  • apply before planting and till in ? 
  • Or till first and then apply Potash?
  • Is there  wait time after application and before planting? 
Last year we had our worst year with tomatoes.  We had blight, spots etc early and pulled several plants out.  Many of our plants were thin, very little fruit and the plants did not grow like previous years.

Also we had cucumber leaves and other leafs with yellow spots so we are trying to figure out if we are watering too much or incorrectly.
Last year we put a plastic pale around each tomato plant, installed tubing and emitters with hoses into the center of the plastic pail.  We also had more rain than normal in the Sartell area last year so wondering if we watered too much ? 

Attached are the soil samples from 3 locations in the garden taken last fall after garden cleaned out and tilling complete 

Thank you 

Benno Kuhl

PO Box 292
Sartell, MN  56377
<personal data hidden> (Mobile)



On Sat, Apr 24, 2021 at 4:48 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied April 25, 2021, 11:34 AM EDT
Just to add context - 

Sending photos that your team looked at last summer on tomato plant leaves and others 


Benno Kuhl

PO Box 292
Sartell, MN  56377
<personal data hidden> (Mobile)



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Benno Kuhl <<personal data hidden>>
Date: Sun, Apr 25, 2021 at 10:32 AM
Subject: Re: Adding Potash to Garden (#0015981)
To: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>


Hi Steve 

Garden is approx. 45 ft wide x 60 ft long  or 2,700 sq ft estimate
We like to make Salsa and sauces so we plant roma tomatoes onions, many types of peppers ( green, banana, jalapeno, ti, and several others) and we plant peas, wax beans, green beans, carrots etc.  And we have an area where we plant vine type items like cucumber, zucchini, squash and sometimes pumpkins and muskmelons ( only had one good year with the pumpkins and muskmelons.

For the Potash, how and when do we apply it ? 
  • apply on top of soil like lawn fertilizer?
  • apply before planting and till in ? 
  • Or till first and then apply Potash?
  • Is there  wait time after application and before planting? 
Last year we had our worst year with tomatoes.  We had blight, spots etc early and pulled several plants out.  Many of our plants were thin, very little fruit and the plants did not grow like previous years.

Also we had cucumber leaves and other leafs with yellow spots so we are trying to figure out if we are watering too much or incorrectly.
Last year we put a plastic pale around each tomato plant, installed tubing and emitters with hoses into the center of the plastic pail.  We also had more rain than normal in the Sartell area last year so wondering if we watered too much ? 

Attached are the soil samples from 3 locations in the garden taken last fall after garden cleaned out and tilling complete 

Thank you 

Benno Kuhl

PO Box 292
Sartell, MN  56377
<personal data hidden> (Mobile)



On Sat, Apr 24, 2021 at 4:48 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied April 25, 2021, 11:58 AM EDT

Thank for writing.

That is a beautiful and huge gardent.

You will need 5.5 pounds of nitrogen and 27 pounds of potash. Your soil is depleted this should be applied and thoroughly hoed/tilled in and watered before you plant.  

Your soil report does not give the percent organic material but the soil looks like clay.  Over the long hall, you are going to have to remediate the soil with compost and soil. This will be a big project and I suggest you do it over several seasons. I modified some standard instructions


Adjust the Soil Texture With Organic Material

Proper soil texture is essential to allow roots to take up moisture and air. Dense, clay-type soils can remain too moist, causing roots to drown, while sandy soils can drain too quickly for roots to absorb moisture.

The best way to improve soil texture is by adding organic material, such as compost or peat moss. Decaying organic matter helps sandy soil by retaining water that would otherwise drain away. And it corrects clay soil by making it looser, so air, water, and roots all can penetrate. Plus, in all soils it encourages beneficial microbial activity and provides nutritional benefits.

Common forms of organic material to amend garden soil include:

Tip

An easy test for soil texture is to make a ball of damp garden soil. If it breaks apart easily when you tap it, it's sandy soil. If you can press it between your thumb and finger and make a ribbon, it's clay.

  1. Compost: Compost makes an excellent amendment, and it's free if you're composting your garden waste and kitchen scraps.
  2. Manure: You often can obtain manure from local farms and stables. It should be composted until it turns dark, crumbly, and odorless. Besides the smell, fresh manure has too much ammonia and can burn your plants.
  3. Peat moss: Peat moss is cheap and works well to loosen soil. It's also very dusty, so wet it first to make it easier to work with.
  4. Cover crops: Also known as green manure, cover crops are grown on unused soil with the intent of tilling them in and letting them decompose. The roots keep the soil loose, and the plants suppress weeds. Cover crops from the legume family, such as clover and vetch, also add nitrogen to the soil. Cover crops are most often used for vegetable garden sites.

Tips for Improving Garden Soil With Amendments

Adding compost or another organic material is often the easiest way to amend soil. In some cases, a yearly application of compost might eliminate the need for all other forms of amendments. Plant-based composts are lower in salts than those containing decomposed animal manure. These composts are better for improving soil texture, though both do a good job of providing nutrients.

A surface mulch is not a true soil amendment, but it can serve that function if you dig it into the soil once it has broken down. An annual routine of digging in old organic mulch before applying a fresh layer can make for excellent garden soil.

Now, on to your tomatoes.

Until the entire bed soil is up to grade, plant each tomato plant in at least a quart of potting soil.

Fungus splashes up from overhead watering and rain.  It gets to the lower leaves. At the plant grows, keep it upright and pinch off the lower branches so that no leaf is within 6 inches of the ground. Be sure to mulch around the base of the stem so that dirt is covered.  Your plant in  healthy soil will do much better.  

I hope this helps.

 Hello 

The Soil is actually sandy soil. 

We did add some compost / black dirt mixture about 4 years ago and sometimes add Manure every 2 or 3 years 
If we add manure this year, do we also add the NItrogen and Potash you suggested ? 
If so, is there any particular order on which to apply first. 

If Manure is not available or does not have time to dry out before application, then we will look at other forms of compost to add on top and till in 
Again, do we add the Nitrogen and Potash first or do we add the compost and then add the Nitrogen and Potash and till it all together ? 

What suggestions do you have for filling in around the roots and step to retain moisture and reduce weeding.  We have been using grass clippings from a neighbor.  Is that a good solution or would you suggest something else might be better 

Benno 

Benno Kuhl

PO Box 292
Sartell, MN  56377
<personal data hidden> (Mobile)



On Sun, Apr 25, 2021 at 11:46 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied April 27, 2021, 4:40 PM EDT

Thanks for writing back Bruno. 
Manure, if not sterilized, can be a problem for home vegetable gardens. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/safely-using-manure-garden/#:~:text=Many%20vegetable%20gardeners%20swear%20by,vegetables%20and%20cause%20human%20disease 

There are the values of nitrogen and potash in manure ~.5%  Manure is a good soil amendment but is not much of a fertilizer. https://www.allotment-garden.org/composts-fertilisers/npk-nutritional-values-animal-manures-compost/

Tilling/hoeing the fertilizer with the compost is best. Top dress with grass clippings (except if your neighbor is using herbicides or pesticides on  his lawn--then I have no advice) after you plant or seed.  The grass prevents weeds; the compost in the root system holds water.

Write again if you need anything.

Steve

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