I also thought that lettuce was shallow rooted until I read this. LETTUCE < The development of the root system during the intervening period of 4 weeks was remarkable (Fig. 94). The taproots had extended their depths from about 3.5 feet to the 6- to 7.5-foot level. As before, however, relatively few long branches originated below the first 10 inches. The large laterals, which formerly had reached a depth of only about 2 feet, now extended well into the fourth foot of soil. Some occupied the fifth foot also, and a few of the longest reached a depthof over 6 feet. That growth was still occurring was shown by the long, unbranched, turgid root ends. The number of branches filling the soil was much greater than formerly and sublaterals were much more abundant. The total spread, however, had not been increased since the preceding examination. Thus a volume of soil, with a surface area of over 9 square feet and a depth of at least 5 feet-nearly 50 cubic feet-was thoroughly ramified by the roots of a single plant.> ROOT DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE CROPS

A lab out of Richmond VA did them. They are supposed to be sending me more information through the mail in a couple of days. The last time "more information" was only application rates to increase different compounds. Then again, I have only ever had pastures tested before so maybe the lab will give better recommendations since they know this is for a market garden. I guess I want some down and dirty information on what this is all about. Maybe a book or something?? We are trying to grow everything by organic standards- thinking of getting cerified "naturally grown"- and understanding the soil is key, me thinks. If I was 20 I could go to college and take sustainable ag courses or become an intern or apprentice but that kind of learning can't take place when you are in your 30s and raising young children. I am now at the point where all of my learning comes from books and message boards!!! Sorry for babbling on, just have a lot going through my head!

Surprisingly, they were close on the pH, but that was luck more than anything else--drinking water happens to have a pH close to your soil pH, that's all. They were miles off on phosphorus and potassium and they missed a few things that are kind of important. If you read other tests, I go step by step and explain why something is important and the source I recommend. Recommendations are at the bottom. EC 23.3: Quite high. Normally, I'd go looking for excess calcium, but in this case that's not the cause. You simply have a heavy, highly organic soil that may or may not have considerable clay in it (but it sure has a lot of silt). This soil won't change quickly and requires massive amounts of material to force a change, but also doesn't drift quickly. Once corrected, testing every other year is more than sufficient. pH 7.4: A symptom, not the disease, and not a barrier to a perfectly gorgeous lawn. While there's no easy way to change this, some of the recommendations below may nudge it down a bit. OM 10.4%: Fantastic! This heads right into the "Extraordinarily Good" range. Certainly mulch mow, mow in your fall leaves, and consider feeding organically if you wish, but there's no need to work on this. Sulfur 15: Exactly normal, with plenty of room to play. We don't need that much room. Phosphorus 126: Low for your pH, but not deficient. Still, this is impacting your grass (and flowers, if you have any) quality. Target here will be about 220-240. I recommend the cheapest starter fertilizer you can get your hands on, with application rates below. I'd like to fold in a fourth app before your next test, but the climate in Green Bay simply doesn't allow it. Calcium 72.6%: A hair high, but certainly not a problem. No calcium is required. Magnesium 19.8%: Very high, although entirely workable. This might give you a tight, impenetrable soil at levels this high as your Ca:Mg ratio is only 6.1. It's not awful, but it's a little low--and there's nothing we can do about it here (actually, there is, but it's not worth bothering when the situation is this marginal). Avoid magnesium sources including Epsom salt and dolomitic limestone. Both would be a severe mistake. Potassium 3.2%: It's OK, but should be enhanced to remove the soil deficit showing above of 144 #/A. We use potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash) to do this, which you can often buy at local garden stores (or they'll order it for you) or landscaping shops. You can get it online, but the prices tend to be poor. Recommendations below. Minor elements: Most are fine, except Boron (mentioned below). I talk about copper (high) and iron (meh) below as well. Iron 99: Not deficient, but at your pH definitely not going to produce great color in the lawn. Whenever you like, apply Milorganite at bag rate to slowly lift this (and very gently feed the lawn). Copper 20.1: Very high. Definitely avoid significant copper sources (not that there are many, although some moss killers use copper sulfate). Excess copper kills roots and some plants are sensitive to even mildly high levels (grass is not). Boron: We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendations: August 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 20 Mule Team Borax at 4 tablespoons (not a misprint) per thousand square feet. September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. May 1, 2016: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Labor Day, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

Back in the 1960's we were told to add large amounts of things like, greensand, rock phosphate, and granite dust to create a nutrient bank in our soil until research found that soils did not bank nutrients and excess amounts could wash out and create pollution problems in our water. The same was found to be true of large amounts of organic matter in soils, more was not better. I have found that different soil testing labs often use different numbers but as long as there is balance between them, the ratio of one to another, nutrient problems should not be seen. Advice should always be somewhat more specific, tailored to what is being asked and that is why I often ask questions of the person posting. "Add more organic matter" does apply if the soil organic matter is between 0 and 1 percent but may not if it is 6 percent. A number of people have made statements to the affect that they have 50 percent organic matter in their soil when most likely they mean they added enough organic material (what we add) and as the Soil Food Web works and converts that material into organic matter (the residual) that number will drop. While many use those terms, organic material and organic matter, interchangeably they really do mean different things. Keep in mind that many times what the soil test labs report about nutrient levels is from research done on soils with very little organic matter, ie. what is called "conventional" growing where synthetic plant foods are used and where excesses are more pronounced than in an organic garden. kimmq is kimmsr