Kym Stroud Smith
20 hrs · MelbourneI've seen a bit lately on deficiencies in plants.... and I've noticed that many of my plants, all around the garden, not just in the veggies garden, have started showing some yellowing with green veins. Then looking at friends' gardens, here there and everywhere, I'm seeing the same thing for the first time. Veggies garden has had rock dust before planting, Citrus has yearly iron treatment as well as trace elements. Citrus in the chook yard. What do you think is going on here? Something to do with lock up of some elements?
20 hrs · MelbourneI've seen a bit lately on deficiencies in plants.... and I've noticed that many of my plants, all around the garden, not just in the veggies garden, have started showing some yellowing with green veins. Then looking at friends' gardens, here there and everywhere, I'm seeing the same thing for the first time. Veggies garden has had rock dust before planting, Citrus has yearly iron treatment as well as trace elements. Citrus in the chook yard. What do you think is going on here? Something to do with lock up of some elements?
- Amity Grace Griffiths Following, as I have had it here too.20 hrs ·
- Peter Hurley Same here20 hrs ·
- Eileen Ray Same here19 hrs ·
- Dean Bryant Correct Kym. Iron can be locked up by excessive calcium, zinc, copper, manganese or phosphorus. These elements are antagonistic to the uptake of iron.
Even if you give it iron it will only lock up & not be available.
The solution here is Potassium which stimulates iron uptake.
Happy days.19 hrs · - Dean Bryant Mulder's chart explains this perfectly.19 hrs
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- Dean Bryant You may also find this one interesting.
The biochemical sequence. This is the order in which plant nutrients are taken in.19 hrs ·
- Cath Stephensen I remember reading an article many years ago on the role of K, potassium, in protecting plants from heat stress, and looking at the information above, it just emphasises the importance of the so called 'minor' elements in plants ability to withstand the environment they find themselves planted in. Don't forget the important role of soil microbial health in helping to make these nutrients available & to inoculate plants against bacterial & fungal attack.18 hrs ·
- Dean Bryant Compost, compost, compost. Make as much as you can to feed your soil foodweb.
The soil foodweb is responsible for making all nutrients available to plants. One teaspoon of good garden soil contains over a billion beneficial microbes & 5 miles of fungi. This is your invisible soil foodweb.18 hrs · - Kym Stroud Smith mmm yep. thought it must be something like that. What interests me is that has become so widespread across many gardens. Sandy soil, loam, clay. Looks like I'd better turn the compost again ;)17 hrs ·
- Dean Bryant Soil is my passion. We grow soil & the soil grows blueberries. We consistently achieve Brix levels of over 32% every year for the last 7 years. Brix is the measurement of nutrition within the plant sap. Tells me that all nutrients are available at luxury levels for the nutrition to be this high. To my knowledge nobody has achieved levels anywhere near this. The best being 14%.
As soon as the leaves appear they are at 19%
Our blueberries have never suffered any pest or disease & have a shelf life of over 8 weeks. Soil organic levels are now over 10%. All with making good compost.17 hrs · - Kym Stroud Smith Dean that is fabulous! Congratulations!17 hrs ·
- Susana Bateson Dean Bryant I think I read that you too add coffee grounds to your compost? When I pick my weekly 12 gal bucket of coffee grounds up from my local coffee shop it is often slightly mouldy in the bottom, are these moulds likely to good ones that add to the soil web do you think? I do not add all the coffee to the compost every week some I sprinkle around the garden to deter slugs and snails too. I have 4 x1 metre compost bins (approx size) for my 3/4 acre garden. I also add some to my 3 worm farms as the worms seem to love it.3 hrs ·
- Dean Bryant Yes Susana Bateson the fungi you see in the coffee grounds is very beneficial3 hrs ·
- Susana Bateson Oh good thank you Dean, I had hoped that was the case.3 hrs
- Dean Bryant Coffee grounds also contain valuable nutrients. Go to your nearest cafe & ask if you can have theirs everyone.3 hrs ·
- Dean Bryant I swap blueberries for mine. You could also offer to pay for a coffee for someone in advance.3 hrs ·