Increasing soil fertility by combining compost with water-soluble nitrogen

As a gardener, I often want to take the greatest advantage of the growing space and the amount of time I have full sun during the summer. In order to do this, I work to ensure that my soil is both healthy and fertile. Though there are many definitions of fertility, my definition is that the soil is imbued with the capacity to provide plant roots with the nutrients the plant needs at each stage of development in order to grow to its optimum potential.

My compost pile(s) earlier in the summer  with my green compost bucket nearby

A closeup of my compost pile later in the season

Sifted biologically active compost

Over the years, as I have worked with soil and my gardens, I have observed something about soil and fertility that my garden was kind enough to share with me.While in the past I have taken the approach to add compost at the beginning of the growing season and adding water-soluble fertilizer later, throughout the season, this practice only worked well near the beginning of the growing season, but as the season progresses I have found that the plants have not been able to handle the fertilizer. At first, I decided that this means that I need to add less nitrogen at a time, but I continued to have either foliage die-off or high periods of growth followed by signs of plant stress.

Planting my garden on July 20th

In my last planting, done on July 20th, I added both a layer of biologically active compost and organic water-soluble fertilizer. The results were both immediate and sustained. The amount of water-soluble fertilizer that I added was more than I usually add throughout the season. Since that time, I have not added additional amendments to my garden soil. As a result the plants have continued growing at a high rate and all the foliage has looked wonderful.

So – why has this happened? One possible factor is that with the garden doing so well, I am not walking on the boards in my garden as much and not compressing the soil. Another possibility is that the soil in my garden was at an optimal temperature when the plants were put in. Though these may be factors, another more likely reason for the improvement in fertile soil is that the biologically-active compost is acting as a biological sponge. When the water-soluble fertilizer is added to the mix, the compost began to digest the fertilizer, chemically holding it for a time, and slowly released this nitrogen-rich material to the plant as the roots came into contact with it.

My garden on August 28th, 39 days later with no additional amendments.

I highly encourage any gardener to try combining their own biologically active compost with organic water-soluble fertilizer when planting their summer garden. Hopefully you will have similar results.

Below is my little video, so you can see more of the results.

Photosensitivity of Italian Carosello (C. Melo var. Adzhur)

While each Carosello (C. Melo var. Adzhur) variety is different, over time I have come to find that some carosello varieties – in their early stages of development – have photosensitive rinds. This means that if one cucumber of a specific variety is exposed to more sun in its early development that, during this stage of development, the fruit will have more defined dark coloring than other nearby fruit.

Carosello Massafrese female blossom

I believe that the dark coloring in these specific carosello varieties is more pronounced because of the presence of chlorophyll just under the outer surface of the rind. As the area with these predesignated chlorophyll receptors are exposed to light, the photosynthesis that occurs produces a darker coloring.

Carosello Massafrese young, lighter fruit

The recent growth of my Carosello Massafrese helps to illustrate what occurs naturally. A female melon flower has no coloring at pollination. While each Carosello cucumber-melon variety is different, over time I have come to find that some carosello varieties – in their early stages of development – have photosensitive rinds. This means that if one cucumber of a specific variety is exposed to more sun in its early development that, during this stage of development it will have more defined dark coloring than other nearby fruit.

As the Carosello Massafrese matures, the fruit darkens evenly

This photosensitive trait turns out to be most pronounced in the growth of one of my most recent carosello varieties, the striped Carosello Leccese while least pronounced in a recent growing of the striped medium long of Tarantino.

A striped Carosello Leccese blossom

A young striped Carosello Leccese exposed to minimal sunlight

Some young striped Carosello Leccese exposed to minimal sunlight

A much darker young striped Carosello Leccese out in the open

The strong photosensitivity exhibited by fruits of the Striped Carosello Leccese are not just contrasted from one cucumber to another, but also exhibit differences on each cucumber, depending upon how much of the fruit is exposed to direct sunlight.

A striped Carosello Leccese with a little bit of dark showing near the top

As the fruit matures, the exposed skin continues to darken the most

 

Notice the darker rind near the outside of the fruit

A closer look a little later.

To date, the nature of the darkening process in the striped Carosello Leccese is not fully understood. Perhaps a layer of chlorophyll that is photosensitive resides slightly deeper in the rind than in other carosello varieties. In any case, specific characteristics of carosello should definitely be considered if an individual would like to sell any fruit - especially if a trait (such as variability in fruit coloring) could effect marketability. As the nature and prevalence of photo-sensitivity in various cultivars of carosello cucumbers has not been noted in much academic work, this subject is definitely worth continuing to explore.