stopped growing

[prokie]

I started my garden outside since I live in southern Alabama and was past any danger of frost. My soil is clay so we built forms and filled with bags of top soil and Black Cow. Planted seeds and plants. Everything started coming up within a week and plants did well. Now all plants are stalled. Leaves are curling and turning brown or yellow. We water every morning for 30 minutes. I even put some miracle grow on it because I thought it might be the soil. I planted from seeds: Green beans, scallions, radishes, beets. Plants are tomato, green pepper, banana peppers. Everything is the same size it was 3 weeks ago. They have literally not grown a bit. I have never experienced this before.
Last year did the same thing but purchased a truckload of top soil and garden did great. Redid size this year so we started over.

 

[digitS']

Aw, someone in southern Alabama to talk to . . . I hope the tornadoes missed you and it sounds like they did!

When you put new soil down on native ground you are supposed to incorporate the new with the old, at least, a little. That is so you avoid something called a perched watertable (WSU, click).

Now, you didn't say that you did or did not do this but it could be a concern. You are watering that ground 30min every morning -- do you think that is a good idea? I don't know your weather conditions and your plants must be small yet so they don't have much in the way of roots. But, watering every 24 hours, for only a few minutes, doesn't move much water very deeply or encourage plant roots to follow it.

I've heard that Black Cow is commonly available is some parts of the country. It must be a fairly well-composted product. Is it possible that it really doesn't have much fertilizer value? Or, that it does and your bagged top soil also has fertilizer added so that putting down Miracle Gro may just be tooooo much fertilizer?

Okay, I just checked on your past weather, let's see, it is a place called Ashford, AL (where we have a TEG forum member who works a lot on garden soil prep and would know something about the issue). Except for a very rainy day yesterday there has been almost no rain lately, you have had temps in the high-80's during the day and mid-60's at night. Sounds like it should be fairly good growing weather.

You might wait to see what an inch plus of rain will do and, maybe, start putting down something close to that much during dry weeks rather than 30min, daily. A sprinkler or drip irrigation running that short of time just doesn't sound adequate for really warm and quite dry weather like you have had over the last 3 weeks.
I hope I'm not completely off-base with this. Welcome to TEG !

Steve

 

[prokie]

I will modify my watering schedule and see if that improves things.

 

[curly_kate]

I agree w/Digits. Just from your description, it sounds like too much water. I wonder if you could also be leaching out nutrients w/the water, too?