For the Green Thumb
you always wanted:
Magic Soil Formula
Experience a greater degree of success. Success growing anything that works in your climate.
Mix in a wheelbarrow with dirt for initial planting
or store the amendments separately
in a cool dry place
for use throughout the year.
Fill a large deep-dish wheelbarrow (8cu ft) about 3/4 full w/ composted top soil. Or use your existing soil enriched w/ a bag of composted cow manure.
Add the following amendments:
8 heaping cups organic, composted chicken manure: 3-2-3 pelletized poultry litter;
6 cups of greensand (trace minerals)
6 cups of woodashes (source of potash)
1
cup of Dr. Iron® (organic source of iron)
1 cup of Epsom Salts (magnesium)
If your soil is very sandy -- like most of North & Central Florida -- also add in about 6-8 qts (shovel fulls) of loamy peat moss to enhance water retention. If you have clay, skip this step.
MIx contents of the wheelbarrow thoroughly, turning it over with a shovel until all amendments are evenly distributed throughout. It's just like mixing cake batter, but with a shovel.
Now you're ready to begin planting!
Use 3-4 shovelfuls of this mixture when planting fruit trees. Use just the amendments without the soil, applied liberally as a top dressing, every two months throughout the year for continual nourishment.
Frequency to feed throughout the year:
For Florida, we begin in Feb and end in October: Feb, April, June, Aug, and October. Citrus also gets an extra feeding in January as well, to prepare for blossom time.
Use on all edibles to improve flavor.
This is also an awesome formula in which to start your tomato plants. Use this mixture for at least the top 12-15 inches of garden soil when you first put any vegetables into the garden. Then apply liberally again every 4 weeks throughout the growing season.
It also makes a great top dressing for other existing trees and shrubs, about 1-3 shovelfuls per plant, depending on the size.
Do remember that some plants will require additional care to meet their particular specialized needs. For example, azaleas need more acidic soil, while fig trees require more alkaline soil, to name a few.
Dr Iron® is a registered trademark of Lawn & Garden Products Inc (CA)
Thanks for requesting our Magic Soil Formula!
Remember to water your fruit trees every day with a slow drip, especially when first planted.
Without consistent water, you won't get a strong tree or a bountiful harvest..
Daily slow drip is much more effective than building a saucer and drowning the tree once or twice a week --- it gives the tree a chance to drink up the water w/o wasting it.
by Ask The Green Genie™ virtual landscape consultant