[slownickel]

That conversion to nitrate accelerates when you have a pH above neutral. What pH do you have in your soil Daddy?

Well as I stated I'm in containers and raised beds . I start in late May at about 7.2-7.4 Haven't re tested this year but in previous years , with decomposition and rainfall ... Left me mid to high 6s beginning of September

That's for both my base soil and my strongly amended bottom layer "super soil"

[slownickel]

Any idea of your water analysis?

Maybe it would just be easier to send in a soil analysis and stop guessing....

For those of us that are organic, soil analysis is much more important than for most. Our only chance is balance....

When is the point of overkill with the nitrates? If I was adding it with my calcium and kso4

Although it does seem I'll just have to do frequent testing until I find that balance

Thanks for input , I have a few new things to play with for a while .

[slownickel]

Nitrates allow for more calcium to be taken up. Ammonia since it is a cation, competes with Calcium. So the plant picks up less calcium, yet the same amount of potassium.

There are those of us that firmly believe that productivity and quality comes from Calcium uptake.

[slownickel]

The idea of a soil analysis is once a year for major elements. $30-35 or so. With that we can dial things in.

Then if you are worried about your N levels, send in for a N test only. $10 or so.

[blkantha]

If we are mixing manure with gypsum/ag lime will this make mixture to be alkaline in soil and help Ca uptake?
As stated ammonia in manure should be converted to NO3?

[slownickel]

Gypsum is a neutral pH, will not bring up nor down the pH.

Ag lime will raise the pH and theoretically allow the ammonia to be converted by biology (this depends greatly on the right biology being present). This biology works begins and works slowly at a pH of about 5.8 or so and as the pH is increased, the conversion is faster... up to a pH of about 7.5.