I'm seeing odd patterns in plant health in the UK, despite being in one of the best fruit and veg growing areas in the country.... my observations:
a) Garden centres are selling compost that appears much lower quality than last year and that doesn't hold water as well, it also has much more perlite/vermiculite (or something else?) in it,
b) We've had MUCH better sun than last year - when I had a bumper crop - but this year both plant chlorophil and produce levels are 50% down. I've been providing plenty of seaweed, tomorite and manure but it's having little effect? Typical summer temps here are 15 to 25 degrees but we've had 25 to 40 this year - so why aren't plants producing?
c) Plants that usually overgrow are even more reduced in size; mint, perpetual sweet peas, raspberries, rhubarb, courgettes,
I stumbled upon a possible reason and solution... WATER:
d) I think something in compost and fertilisers this year is DE-IONISING the water, much like something in the jab is clotting veins and reducing oxygen circulation?
e) If you think of the soil/compost/water as being the battery that gives growth energy to the plants, this can't happen effectively when the water is de-ionised,
f) A possible solution I saw on a youtube is to wind copper wire around bamboo stakes and into the soil - supposedly copper is good at gathering ions from the air and it feeds down back into the soil,
Interesting.
My yield in Texas is lower than 2020. Due to a health incident I had to skip 2021. Little rain in 2022, so I've had to use more irrigation than in 2020.