2009 - Year Without A Summer

Yesterday DH and I were talking about how it doesn't look as Dark green as it usually does. A Little too yellowish. Lacking in Nitrogen? we haven't had many lightning strikes( which ionises N).

Well okay.. I spoke too soon... Yesterday here it was 88 BUT the feel like temp was 99!! I guess because of the humidity..everything was miserably hot..the animals, the plants, the people... ugh I hate that drippy hot feeling...I can bear any amount of heat...but the humidity yuck...either rain or go away...

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Christanie Farm...living life as it was intended

of course summer doesn't "officially" start until June 21st

If 'it' is a grass crop - like oats, corn, wheat, etc. - then the cold weather keeps the plant from getting P into it as fast as the plant needs it. Roots just don't take up P in the cold. Makes the plant yellow.

As you say, N and other micro nutrients also don't take up as well.

A decade ago there was enough sulfur in the air, so the grass crops got all the sulfur they needed.

Now, with the tightening controls on diesel use, we find the soil is short on sulfur. I've had to add some with the corn fertilizer. Only need 5-15 lbs per acre, but without it the corn doesn't do as well.

--->Paul

Here too!!! We usually have a lot of storms and we've been lacking. My lawn actually looks yellow LOL

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It's not that I don't like mankind, I just like nature a whole lot more.

Interesting, I wounder if any of this has to do with the raging infestation of Bole weevils on our alfalfa, other than we might need to fertilize, which I don't want to do with chemicals.

A soil test should cost between $25 and free, depending where you take it - some extension & other govt agencies will do a free one sometimes, typically they are about $15 or so.

This will tell you how much N, P, K, and several micro nutrients you have in your soil. It tells you the ph (acid or base) your soil has. It tells you how much clay and sand you have. And it tells you how much cec your soil has. (Cec kinda relates to how good your soil is at storing the fertilizer....)

From this, you can make good guesses at to what your alfalfa needs. (Yes I said guesses - there is still a lot of art to reading a scientific soil test....)

The most important is soil ph. Many areas of the country are low ph, and this stops any plant from taking up nutrients. You can pour on fertilizer - manure or commercial - and it won't really help too much if the ph is low. Fix low ph first with lime. If needed. Most important.

If ph is high, that is difficult to fix. Drainage can help over time. Learn to plant crops that deal with high ph better.


Then is N, P, & K. These are the important, big-need, stuff any plant uses. Alfalfa can make it's own N, so you shouldn't need to worry about that one. It uses a _lot_ of N, but it makes it's own.

P & K can really be used up by alfalfa tho. I'll bet you are low on one od those. You can get it from commercial fertilizers, manure, or ground up rocks - whatever you like, up to you. The plant will like any of them the same.

There are micro nutrients that can help alfalfa, but you are likely a long ways from needing any of those - probably have a bigger issue from above. Need to fix the big problems first.

Myself, I like manures for fertilizer - I think they add a lot of micro nutrients, the release slower over several years, and add a little organic matter. But, for alfalfa, might not be a good choice - manure offers a lot of N, and you don't need to waste applying N to an alfalfa field...... You'd be best off with a commercial fertilizer or a more expensive 'organic labeled' ground up rock fertilizer for what you likely need in your soil.

Start with the ph and lime needs first tho, most important order!

Inscts have become a major issue with alfalfa any more. Didn't used to be that way, but leaf hoppers, aphids, and the like around here are just terrible. Can wipe out 1/3 of what one normally harvests if not treated, & I suspect you don't like treating for such stuff. It's a problem. There are some alfalfa's with hairy stems that offer a bit of resistance to some insects - the little bugs can't get through the fine hairs. Might want to see if these more expensive types fit into your insect problems.

--->Paul

Colder than normal by 20 degrees, a drought that's getting worse by the day and strong wind that doesn't stop while it changes directions. Blew 2 500 gallon fish tanks off my dikes and snapped off 2 power poles. Pond temps so low my fish aren't spawning and may cause the loss of an entire crop of one of my main species.

Climate change is going to be fun! Oh that reminds me. I left my Hummer idling.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

.............We have had very mild weather here in north central tx so far . Every time the forcast indicates temps in the mid to high 90's a cold front slides thru and cools us back into the 80's . Normally , by May 15th. , we're having 95 to 98 f every day with the exception of a cool front creating short term storms . Suits me , but it won't last . , fordy

I had posted about this year without a summer..as i am in the area that it is predicted.

we have had the worst winter in over 60 years..the coldest spring i ever remember and so far no summer to speak of..

we have lost most of our fruit crops, strawberries are black, cold weather crops are doing great but i never got broccoli in cause i couldn't find seeds or plants..without mail ordering and paying gobs for shipping for a packet of seeds.

the lettuce is still going gangbusters here..and i'll continue to replant cold weather crops all season long..someone want to send me some broccoli seeds???

my vegetable garden is just now coming up..the melon, summer squash and cucumbers have been planted twice with no germination..probably too wet and cold.

tomato and pepper plants are in the greenhouse..lucky me.

i don't mind cool..don't like freezes..and the crops won't do well with too cool..either.

the gnats are outrageous and the skeeters are multiplying even with the nosquito in our ponds..


by 4 or 5 pm you can't breathe outside or you'll gag on a gnat

Mid MIchigan..where the NO SUMMER forcast centers

I love cool weather. Heck it was a little over 50 degrees coming home from work early this morn and I had the window down in the car. With a thick blanket I'll start to sweat at any temp above 55 without a fan blowing on me while I sleep. If this is what they mean by climate change sign me up for more

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http://www.xanga.com/shackman A blog about whatever

Rambler, thanks for the nice summary of market and soil stuff. I get bits and pieces of the puzzle, but it's nice to have it put together. I'll add your soil essay to my collection.

I'm in Michigan, mid/upper east LP

We had a pretty nasty winter, a late spring, and no summer yet. In may we had a week of 70, and one 80 degree day. Every June day so far has been 50-60. I like 60, but 50 is starting to feel cold to me. But its supposed to be 70 next week, though I dont believe them.

The winter wheat is doing great, but I dont know how it'll dry out without hot dry weather. The other stuff, soybeans, corn, sugar beets, is doing ok so far.

Last summer was cooler and wetter than normal, in the 70's with no mid-summer drought. It was nice, and had lots of thunderstorms, which are my favorite.

But this summer definitly sucks.

However, the daffodils and lilacs lasted forever, and the irises seems to be going the same way. A small silver lining, eh?

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Abby
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Unless life also hands you sugar and water, your lemonade is going to suck.

Blech. We finally finished planting soybeans yesterday, finished corn Sunday. "Finished" being subjective, there's about 15 acres that just won't be dry enough to plant this year for the first time ever. However, nobody else I know has even managed to get that much in yet. A few miles south of us, probably 40% of the land is still too wet to touch. There's one farm I was talking to about 30 miles SE of us, have less than half of their corn acres in and haven't touched 1500 acres of soybeans yet. Still a few places on lower ground around that haven't turned a wheel all spring.

I've never had a tractor stuck so bad that I had to step UP from the cab onto the ground before, particularly planting no-till soybeans. Not so bad though, only took 2 hours to get it out. My vet's brother lost his big tractor and disk for a week before he could get it out.

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The internet - fueling paranoia and misinformation since 1873.

We are definitely having summer here in south GA. Today it was 107 degrees on my truck thermometer at 10:30 this morning. It is not usually this hot till mid August. One positive note though, I can almost stand by the tomato plants and see them turn red in this heat and humidity! LOL

In AL (SE) May was like some other part of the country- kept reminding myself this IS Alabama, it IS going to be hot soon. And now it is.

I have read that in 1816, the summer was so cool in Maine that they had hard frost and snow fall each month of the year.

It was labeled "The year without a summer"

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/top...thout_a_Summer

It was caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.

Mid-to-North Willamette Valley, Oregon had two different sets of *tornadoes*!!! No! Not here! Such weird weather! Almost 90 for a week the end of May, and now it's 50-60and damp. Don't believe all that stuff about Oregon raining all the time - since we moved here in 1992 the summers have mostly been lovely, with little or no rain between May and mid-September. This one looks to be just strange!
Kit

Our agriculture system and our food supply is dependent on a stable climate. If it fluctuates too far out of normal our global food supply could fail. That is why climate change is so serious.

Ignore the denialists because they really haven't thought of the consequences of climate change. There are more than 6 Billion of us and more coming every day. In less than 4 years we increase the population more than the entire US population. If the food supply would collapse for even a few months things would turn ugly very fast.

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"Do you believe in the devil? You know, a supreme evil being dedicated to the temptation, corruption, and destruction of man?" Hobbs
"I'm not sure that man needs the help." Calvin

Um guys........We are getting our summer in this "year without a summer"...... I literally burnt my hand opening the door of my truck yesterday. Summer is here with a vengeance.

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Emily Dixon
Ozark Jewels
Nubians & Lamanchas
www.ozarkjewels.net

"Remember, no man is a failure, who has friends" -Clarence