Soil Care

[Daniel]

IN order to grow tobacco I had to buy 5 gallon buckets. In addition I purchased the soil that the buckets where filled with. First of all it was very expensive. I will just say that for this first year we could have purchase our tobacco for the cost of the soil alone. Sort of brings home the real value of the soil.

It is a mixture of 1 part top soil, one part peat moss and 1/2 part sand. We then added a small portion of our local very heavy clay soil.

This mix seemed to work very well. at the end of the season we dumped all the buckets out on one big pile and have covered it with plastic.

Due to the soil being so valuable I wanted to ask for any advice on how we should treat this soil over the winter. Do you think covering it will cause any harm, do any good etc. We have a huge compost pile in the works and plan to add compost to it next spring as we refill the buckets.

Given that pretty much anything is possible with the scale of growing we are doing. what do you consider the perfect conditions would be? I know soil tests are most likely in order for spring. I just don't want to harm the soil in the mean time.

 

[justintempler]

As you know I'm doing research on container soils and partly because of your success I've pretty much committed to going to container growing also.

I found this thread over at Village Garden Web:
"Container soils and water in containers (long post)"
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg031557203792.html

Over there they limit the threads to 150 comments so when a thread becomes popular it has to be continued in a new thread. This topic so far is on - Container soils and water in containers part XIV.

That's 14 threads each with 150 posts. There's a wealth of information in there. I'm currently working my way through Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention IV
The newest thread XIV is here: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0622171013552.html

Since I'm a newb to container soil, I wanted to show you where I'm coming from. before I say something you might not like.

Your soil should not be used again for container growing, the best thing you can do is build a raised bed and use your soil there. If you use your soil in containers again when the peat breaks down it will create a perched water table and then you will have all kinds of drainage problems, water logged soil, root rotting..... Adding in new peat and/or sand won't prevent it because the existing peat will still be in there causing problems. The breakdown is not linear, it accelerates with time, so the beginning of the season might start out fine, but by the time the season ends the problems will crop up and you will lose months of hard work.

It has everything to do with the physics of how soil works in a container, if you use your soil in a raised bed planter, the physics are different and the ground underneath the raised bed will wick away the moisture eliminating the problem of the perched water table and drainage.

You could still use your containers without building a raised bed if the bottoms of your pots have enough openings so the soil in the containers comes into contact with ground soil underneath, in effect making your 5 gallon buckets raised planters.

Don't take my word for anything I said, do your own research. I just wanted to give you a warning so you can plan ahead for next season.

 

[Daniel]

Justin, Thanks. I have never heard of containers becoming perched. Not sure contact with the ground is an answer for us. We have almost pure clay soil and it does not wick water much at all. That is one of the reasons we went with containers in the first place. I was hoping to locate some land this year to grow a large crop more traditionally but so far am not having a lot of luck in that direction.

Although I have never heard of perched soil, I was of the thinking that peat does not break down in the soil. The compost will and will eventually add to the silt content. The peat will only be lost as it dries on the surface and blows away. I am aware that their will be problems using the same soil year after year due to diseases that build up. I have not figured that one out just yet either. I am thinking I am going to end up needed a couple or more piles of soil and rotate them from year to year.

What I would really like to do is find the space to grow all the tobacco I will need in a one time shot. Avoid all the year after year issues and be able to focus on growing some things other than tobacco. I figure I need a quarter of an acre at least to attempt that. And then lots of storage space.

I will be watching for what you mentioned above. I do know second year growing is not always like the first though. Just don't know all the reasons why.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I would just cover with black plastic sheeting or tarp to bake the fungus and bugs and add some black kow(deluxe sold me) and go again next year. Kit might not be as good but it should be an incremental loss not all or nothing. And with some leaves takes into the pile, household compost and manure you should be fine.the idea is to save money

 

[Daniel]

I just managed to get the first post in the thread above read. I understand what perched water is now and can say I think I saw the results of it in my plants even in the first year of growing. I did not managed to get the idea of what the wick is made of though. Sounds like something that could help with root development in the buckets though.

 

[justintempler]

I did not managed to get the idea of what the wick is made of though..

If you just want to use the wick for drainage (working with gravity) you could use a piece of nylon rope or cloth shoestring.

If you are wicking up (and have to overcome gravity) then use something made with 100% rayon (man made chamois or rayon mop head)