ASPARAGUS

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DO YOU HAVE TO PUT SALT AROUND ASPARAGUS PLANTS?ALSO WHAT IS THE BEST MULCH AND FERTILISER TO USE?

-- GEORGE KINDEL (kindel@worthlink.net), May 27, 2001

Answers

Dear George, Please don"t put salt around asparagus,They love lots of compost and thing that is well rotted, manure is good, Use a 15 5 10 fertilizer, a master gardener told me this, also use a root stimulant, I know your going to scream about a chemical fertilizer, but bear with me, I live in hot dry texas where you can fry eggs on side walk, I was haveing a terrible time getting a good crop of asparagus, When I did the above this past year I had a bumper crop, and now the ferns are 5 feet high, I had to stack them. the master gardener said asparagus are really heavy feeders and need to be fed every six weeks all year around. I laid soaker hoses down the rows and covered with lots of compost, and I use the 15 5 10 faithfully and lots of organic too. I can"t begin to tell you how they improved lots of luck Irene

-- Irene orsborn (tkorsborn@cs .com), May 27, 2001.

George, I have never heard of putting actual salt. I have heard people who use "salt hay" as a mulch around asparagus.As far as other mulches you can use shredded leaves,straw,or dried grass clippings.For fertilizer all I do is spread about a 2 to 3 inch layer of compost or aged manure every spring over my whole asparagus bed.

-- TomK (tjk@cac.net), May 27, 2001.

George, the salt thing was that asparagus would TOLERATE the salt and thus you could use it for weed control. We did it and it worked, except then the deer dug up the roots getting the salt.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), May 27, 2001.

My Granddad used salt on his and I believe it was more for weed control

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), May 27, 2001.

I have talked to a lot of people about asparagus and many have said they use salt. It is used as a weed control. Rock salt is put on in every early spring and it kills all the weeds. They say it does not hurt the asparagus. Some others have told me they use round-up for weed control.

Personally I don't think I'll use either. I just put my bed in this year and I'm planning on the hoeing method. I don't see how salt or roundup is good for the soil or the asparagus. Some has told me that they did not like the "mess" salt left.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), May 28, 2001.



a little salt will make the asparugus sweeter in taste but the main use was a s a weed control a bed will last 50 years or more if taken care of its agreat investment

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-- george darby (windwillw@fuse.net), May 28, 2001.


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