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Continued from Page 12 calcium saturation is 60 to 70% in a soil, the crop response from using adequate boron is excellent. But on that same soil, if the saturation of calcium is in the 40 to 50% range, the same amount of boron can be toxic to the very same crop. This is why growers should not rely on soil pH as being indicative of enough calcium for the safe use of boron. A lack of response from boron can also be caused by excessive amounts of potassium in the soil. This situation can cause boron to be tied up and unavailable to the crop from the soil. More specifically, when potassium is over 7.5% of total soil saturation, even if the level of boron has been maintained as needed, such high potassium ties up what would have been normally plant-available boron. In such cases, the crop will suffer from boron deficiency. Still, the more deficient the calcium saturation is in any soil, the more likely boron toxicity problems will occur. So again, a balance between all the soil nutrients is needed for best results because each nutrient must sufficiently be supplied to do its job in order to help the other nutrients to properly do their job. Once there is adequate calcium to ensure a safe response from boron, the minimum level in the soil should be 0.80 ppm for general cropping purposes. But once the levels of other nutrients are built up, boron should be built up to between 1.5 to 2.0 ppm. This is the recommended level for alfalfa, but for maximum response from boron on other crops, that same level, when safely achievable, should be considered as ideal. Clay soils can be built up to the point that boron is sufficient for a crop or even several cropping seasons. Sandy soils are much harder to build, and at times may not even be safe to supply the amount needed to produce the best results. Again, only a reliable soil test can safely provide that critical information. Just guessing can be extremely expensive and very dangerous to the growing crop in such cases! Too much boron can be toxic to growing plants, so be careful not to apply more than each particular crop can stand at any one time. This is true even when more is shown to be needed for obtaining excellent results. Using legumes, plants that are very sensitive to boron in the seedling stage of growth, as an example, more than two pounds per acre of actual boron can be toxic, even if calcium is excellent. This is true from the time of emergence up to setting the first tri-foliate leaf, so at least one good soaking rain should occur between such an application and planting. A citrus grower using our program initially had severely deficient boron levels in his soils. The recommendations made were to correct the needed calcium, which, with ordinary agricultural limestone, will generally take three Boron is necessary for efficient nitrogen utilization. It also takes the starch from the leaf and puts it in the fruit which gives larger sized tomatoes (photo by N. Kinsey.) 14 Organic Farmer December/January 2020
years to see the full effects for building up calcium levels. Because the calcium was so low and citrus is one of the most sensitive and adversely affected crops to excessive boron, the minimum boron application was recommended to be made with another minimum application six months later. The grower was warned that in his very sandy soils the boron might never reach ideal. Due to unexpected circumstances, the first application went on in late fall instead of late summer. But the response was so positive that a second application was used in late winter instead of six months later. Where this was done, the fruit was the size of half dollars when the part that did not receive the boron was the size of quarters. So, in spite of these two applications so close together, the results were so good that the decision was made by the grower without asking anyone to apply a third application in the spring. This time, the trees showed the classic boron toxicity with many brown pustules on the underside of the leaves and began to rapidly defoliate. This would likely have been a big disaster, but an unexpected five inches of rain came in the next two days and washed enough of the boron out to allow the trees to grow another flush of leaves. Though these were mature trees, the grower said it was the best crop he had ever produced there. Had it not rained, it would have likely been the worst. An example of boron use on grass may be helpful in several ways as well. Samples had been analyzed for the same golf course for a number of years, and the golf course superintendent had been applying everything but the recommended boron. Because of its reported effect on grass by other golf courses, he had been afraid to do so. applied. Recommendations were made for using a soil application of boron in a dry fertilizer mix. In about a week, he called to say how much better the grass was already growing than ever before. Due to improved nitrogen utilization, the same thing will happen on pastures when boron is properly used. But before talking about the grass growth, he explained how they could not get dry boron for spreading in the dry mix, but could get Solubor. I cautioned him not to use the full rate if the Solubor was used as a foliar liquid application because it could damage the grass. He immediately replied, “No it won’t!” As a test, we have already applied it to the grass at the nursery; half of one of the greens and half of one of the fairways, and in each case, the grass is just growing greener and taller than ever before. DON’T FORGET THE SEASOL... Solutions for the Earth Increases Nutrient Uptake Efficiency Increases Yield for a Bountiful Crop Decreases Saline Stress Improves Environment for Soil Microbial Activity Conventional and Organic Products Available It then was suggested that he just count his blessings under the circumstances and switch to applying the recommended amount in 12 equal applications over the entire growing season, which he agreed to do. The next day he called back and exclaimed, “You just saved my job!” Because overnight all the grass they had treated was now “dead” and, thankfully, no more had been applied that way. Foliar boron is fine to use, but it must be applied at a safe rate as a foliar which is much less than that can be done as a normal soil application. Soil v. Tissue Testing Certified organic growers can apply boron based upon proper testing to show there is a need. Borax (11% B) and Solubor (21% B) have always been al- Continued on Page 16 View the Full Study at But after attending one of our courses and hearing why boron, due to the circumstances involved, can cause problems in one place while working well under different conditions in another, the boron was now going to be WATER SEASOL www.earthsol.ag earthsol.ag/crops December/January 2020 www.organicfarmermag.com 15
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