BEDDING
Beds generally range from 3 to 8 inches in height, with high beds of 6 to 8
than non-bedded soils. Raised beds promote early-season soil warming, resulting
in somewhat earlier crops during cool seasons. Mulching requires a
soil. Adequate soil moisture is essential in forming a good bed for mulching
using a bed press.
FERTILIZATION
Fertilization is essentially needed for vegetable production in Florida. A
new and innovative approach to BMPs for fertilization known as 4R nutrient
RIGHT fertilizer SOURCE is applied
at the RIGHT RATE in the RIGHT PLACE and at the RIGHT TIME to a
crop. More information about the 4Rs is available in “What is 4R Nutrient
Stewardship?” at <>; “The Four Rs of Fertilizer
Management” at <. For tomato production,
more information is available in “Implementing the Four Rs (4Rs) in Nutrient
Stewardship for Tomato Production” at < .
RIGHT RATE
SOIL TESTING
Soil testing is a key BMP for nutrient management. There are 17
elements essential to plant growth (Table 4). Nickel is the 17th element (see
“Nickel Nutrition in Plants” ). The crop nutrient
in lb/A of that element needed by the crop to produce optimum economic
air, organic matter, or fertilizer.
test the yield response to selected levels of added fertilizer. The CNR
yield is expected. The CNR values derived from such experiments take
practices. Using the CNR concept will ensure optimum economic returns
and minimize both pollution from over-fertilization and loss of yield due to
under-fertilization.
It is important to remember that nutrients are supplied to the crop from
both the soil and fertilizer. The amounts are applied as fertilizers only when
a properly calibrated soil test indicates limited amounts of extractable
macronutrients (N, P, K, Mg, and Ca) or micronutrients present in the soil.
Decisions should be based on two common extractants used by commercial
laboratories (Mehlich 1 or Mehlich 3 for P, K, Mg, and Ca;, however,
Table 2.1. A general guideline to crop tolerance of mineral soil acidity.1
Slightly tolerant (pH 6.8–6.0) Moderately tolerant (pH 6.8-–-5.5) Very tolerant (pH 6.8–5.0)
Beet Celery Muskmelon Bean, snap Cucumber Pumpkin Endive Sweetpotato
Broccoli Chard Okra Bean, lima Eggplant Radish Potato Watermelon
Cabbage Leek Onion Brussels sprouts Kale Squash Shallot
Lettuce Spinach Carrot Mustard Strawberry
1 From Donald N. Maynard and George J. Hochmuth, Knott’s Handbook For Vegetable Growers, 4th edition (1997). Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Table 2.2. Liming materials.
Collard Pea Tomato
Corn Pepper Turnip
Material Formula
Amount of material to be used to
equal 1 ton of calcium carbonate1 Neutralizing value2(%)
Calcium carbonate, calcite, hi-cal lime CaCO3 2,000 lb 100
Calcium-magnesium carbonate, dolomite CaCO3 , MgCO3 1,850 lb 109
Calcium oxide, burnt lime CaO 1,100 lb 179
Calcium hydroxide, hydrated lime Ca(OH)2 1,500 lb 136
Calcium silicate, slag CaSiO3 2,350 lb 86
Magnesium carbonate MgCO3 1,680 lb 119
1 Calculated as (2000 x 100) / neutralizing value (%).
2 The higher the neutralizing value, the greater the amount of acidity that is neutralized per unit weight of material.
Table 2.3. Effect of some fertilizer materials on soil pH.
Fertilizer material
Approximate calcium
carbonate equivalent (lb)1 Fertilizer material
Approximate calcium
carbonate equivalent (lb)1
Ammonium nitrate -1200 Normal (ordinary) superphosphate 0
Ammonium sulfate -2200 Potassium nitrate +520
Anhydrous ammonia -3000 Potassium sulfate 0
Diammonium phosphate -1250 to -1550 Potassium-magnesium sulfate 0
Potassium chloride 0 Triple (concentrated) superphosphate 0
Sodium-potassium nitrate +550 Urea -1700
Nitrogen solutions -759 to -1800
1 A minus sign indicates the number of pounds of calcium carbonate needed to neutralize the acid formed when one ton of fertilizer is added to the soil.
4 2019 Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida