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Does straw throw off the carbon/nitrogen ration
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Posted: Aug/11/2008 1:56 PM PST
My zucchini plants are producing just fine. The leaves, however, are all turning light green then drying up to brown dead leaves. All the while new dark healthy looking leaves keep growing. I have a generous layer of straw laid down as mulch. I have heard that using only straw can throw off the carbon/nitrogen ratio. Is this my problem or is it something else I dont know about...Please help me! |
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Posted: Aug/12/2008 9:54 AM PST
Unless you are working the straw into the soil at root level it shouldn't be reducing the amount of nitrogen. Your description of the new growth being a nice dark green, with later growth turning yellow and falling off suggests that nitrogen isn't the problem. If it was the new growth would be pale too. Not exactly sure what is going on though... Perhaps it's an iron deficiency... |
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Posted: Aug/23/2008 8:35 AM PST
Hi KCKFour20, Your plants symptoms could indicate any of a number of problems, nitrogen deficiency being one of them. But any nitrogen deficiency isn't due to the straw on top of the soil. As Aurora said, that could be the cause if you had mixed the straw throughout the soil, but not if you're just using it as a mulch on top. It also might only be part of the problem. You didn't mention any whiteness of the leaves prior them dying, so I'm ruling out powdery mildew. It sounds like you might be encountering bacterial wilt. The plant is putting out new growth just fast enough to stay alive. Try using a copper fungicide as it is also effective against bacteria, as well as adding some nitrogen to the soil. You can check out this page, too, for some more info. http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=t&id=289 |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 3:25 AM PST
I am planing on re soiling my containers, I was planing on adding some hay in the mix, am I doing something wrong by adding the hay?, I will also be using cow poop/mulch/peat/and fresh grass clippings? Thanks Guilt Trip Better, let me explain better, first I was going to dump the existing soil out of their 24"wide x 24" deep 1/2 plastic barrels containers out on a cut down sheet of plywood, spred out the contents, throw a 1/2 cup of lime on the top, add 3" old hay, 1/2" cup of fertlizer 10/10/10 on top of the hay, add 2" layer of chopped up cow pies,a 2" layer of green grass clippings chop down several times and replace in the containers kinda mixing/shoveling as I go. Put 1-2" seed starting soil on the top sow seeds , water in with 1 tea spoon of 10/10/10 to a gallon of water and get back out of the way, My thoughts, Thanks Guilt Trip |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 6:29 AM PST
You better back off. That mixture is gonna be HOT HOT HOT! |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 6:52 AM PST
My thoughts exactly stereo! You'll want to compost everything before adding plants- that mixture as is will burn the roots! You really won't need the fertilizer- the manure, grass, and hay have plenty of nutrients for the plants. |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 2:16 PM PST
I will drop the 10/10/10 , I just picked up some horse barn shavings with poop, this stuff is green and smells, i think I had better let it rest, should I spred It out to air out ? or compost before I put that stuff on the garden, Thanks on the Hot Hot Hot, Guilt Trip |
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Posted: Aug/28/2008 12:09 AM PST
WOW! got home yesterday and started to rethink my soil mix / compost after the Hot Hot Hot help. I am going to post on the Compost section please follow with help, wait until you hear this, Guilt Trip |
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