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Stanwood, Washington

Is there anything that can be done or do you just need to ride it out?

6/12/2014 4:16:56 PM

Germany

Excess water, but that isn´t good either. If you have good drainage and a forecast for many days of warm (hot) and dry weather, then you could try to water the patch like hell (use warm water only!). Avoid any N-fertilizers for the next weeks.
The problem with nitrogen is that fertilizers contain nitrogen in various compounds: urea, ammonium, nitrate, organic matter (amino acids, protein etc.). Roots love nitrate, but nitrate gets washed out quickly. In spring your nitrate levels will be low, even though there might be plenty of nitrogen available in your soil. Thus, in early spring the plant might look like lack of nitrogen. As soon as soil temperature is higher for a while, microorganisms help with the transformation of other nitrogen sources into nitrate, and suddenly you find a patch full of nitrate.

What I´m doing this year: I keep the cover crop (rye and white clover) on the patch for as long as possible, so that their roots could act as a nitrate scavenger and prevent nitrate accumulation before the AG roots enter that area. (A patch which had received a good load of manure or compost in fall and which hasn´t had a cover crop on top during the past few weeks would probably be much higher in nitrate than a patch which has some nitrate scavengers on top.)

6/12/2014 4:30:02 PM

Alaska

Depends? Do you have any fruit set? If you do I'd be very careful.If you don't then flushing the root zone with good clean water would be my first option. You might add some drip clean to the flush water they claim it's great for just that. Binding and carrying the excess salt away from the plant. In most cases dilution is THE solution to pollution. In this case excess nitrogen is the pollutant, IMHO, over and out Scott.

6/12/2014 4:31:59 PM

Stanwood, Washington

Ive got one set but I am not planning on keeping it. The one I want to keep should be ready to pollinate in 3-4 days. I probably overdid it a bit with the manure in the fall. The older leaves are around 28" across, all my newer leaves have that bloated look and the vine tips are all reaching for the sky. I already backed off the ferts.

6/12/2014 4:43:05 PM

Mnt.pleasant ,tennessee

I've wondered since wood ties up nitrogen if chop sticks or something can be pushed in ground to solve this problem

6/12/2014 9:49:48 PM

Lymington UK

If you have a soil sample showing the levels of Nitrogen it might be worth posting a copy in the diary. If you have a well drained soil I would be thinking of flushing the patch but only if the plant is in trouble right now.
If you have a very high EC or salt levels that would be a reason for flushing.
If you do flush the patch don't mess around make sure you put plenty of clean water on.
Ian

6/13/2014 9:55:29 AM

Omaha, Ne.

Round up and a fishing pole....hee hee

6/13/2014 5:37:15 PM

Omaha, Ne.

sorry sometimes I just can't control myself

6/13/2014 5:38:32 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Captain, once your covers come off and our rains return to the PNW, you won't need to flush, Mother Nature will take care of it for you.

6/14/2014 3:03:42 PM

Stanwood, Washington

Thanks Glenn I am sure these last 4 days have helped out a lot. LOL.

BTW Glenn, I didn't have any success germinating your Long Gourd seeds. I am not sure what I did wrong but I think I may have had some pathogens in my starting mix because I had trouble getting Pumpkins to start towards the end there as well. I still have a couple left and I will give it another shot next year.

6/16/2014 11:14:08 AM