Looking for Soil Testing Company Recommendations
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
13 years ago
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jordanz
13 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Soil test recommendations
Comments (3)In North Carolina, we can get soil tests done for free from NC State (an ag school). We also get instructions from our local ag agents both from classes or publications. Timing doesn't seem to matter. I believe commercial growers are still interested in new results and could be in situations similar to yours where supplies have already been added. So you could certainly send off a well mixed sample of your fertilized soil. However, if it were me (only doing one test), I think I would want to know what my native soil would be needing and I would dig up several undisturbed chunks of soil away from your garden (and each other) and send a mix of that. The report will probably tell you what to add and MAY also tell you what to add in subsequent years for maintanance....See MoreNeed help with soil test recommendations
Comments (3)Thanks, Kimmsr ~ here are results from two worst areas Front bed - small tree, shrubs, perennials, annuals 5 years old - full sun Soil pH: 7.1 P: 15 ppm K: 45 ppm Ca: 1,472 ppm Mg: 140 ppm Organic matter: 14.2% Suggested: 1 lb nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. 4 times per year, 1/2 lb P in spring and again fall, and 5 lbs K - most in fall and rest thru growing season. Back bed - small tree, shrubs, perennials, annuals 40 years old - part sun Soil pH: 7.0 P: 167 ppm K: 187 ppm Ca: 2,656 ppm Mg: 402 ppm Organic matter 13.9% Suggested: 1 lb nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft 4 times year , no P and 2 lbs K - most in fall and rest over growing season. Don't believe 'end of summer' is the problem here as leaves often turn pale green and growth wanes through summer. Some easy plants have died altogether ~ Shasta daisies and larkspur. Years ago I used to use 10-10-10 liberally as well as other chemical fertilizers and all looked good ~ maybe why today's P levels are so high and skewed. So, as I remember, calcium binds to iron making it unavailable to the plant and resulting in pale leaves and light veins . With such high calcium levels showing up in the tests, I'm wondering if this is part of the problem. I'm thinking of adding Epsom salts (or other potassium source) to help boost the P levels and bring the calcium to iron ratio into better balance. Does that sound right?...See MoreDo you recommend professional soil testing?
Comments (12)anntn: thank you for your comprehensive answer! I'm in Ontario, Canada (not California) and we're on Canadian Shield bedrock. Pretty uniform! According to soil maps of the region, I should expect clay till soil, and that's pretty much been my experience. michealg: yes, I expect that the kit wasn't particularly reliable. LynnT: Thank you for the tip about universities. An excellent idea! There's a service through the University of Guelph, which is a big aggie school not too far from here. subk3: Thank you so much for the great information about phosphorous and the link to that wonderful essay. I also navigated to the Dr Chalker-Scott's website and am looking forward to reading up on soils and other gardening practicalities in more detail. Cecily: I assume that was a rhetorical question, but even so I'm going to answer it! lol. Julia Child looked great all season last year - plentiful, healthy green foliage and great repeat on her blooms. She's truly a star. Wild Blue Yonder also grew well, though was stingy with blooms and hardly repeated at all. The rest (Blue Girl HT cl., Bolero, Carefree Beauty are a few) were pretty leggy and sparse, though they're all young plants (1 - 2 years, 3 for BG) so that's not necessarily indicative of anything. In any case, I really appreciate all the help! Please, keep it coming! :) Happy New Year, Karen...See MoreLogan Labs Soil Test Results & Recommendations Help
Comments (1)I really don't like their recommendations for a number of reasons. One, sulfur doesn't work. Surface applied, you'll lose three quarters to outgassing to the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (smog), so thanks for the air pollution. :-) They also recommend some rather difficult or expensive sources (11-52-0, for example). I have monoammonium phosphate on hand. You almost certainly don't. And so on. The zinc and copper aren't necessary, both levels are perfectly reasonable in your soil. In the below, I've assumed you have a northern lawn. If that's incorrect, this will still work, but southern lawns would benefit from a slightly different schedule. ME 22.9: This is a little overinflated by your excess calcium, which results in an ME that's somewhat high. I'm using a standard of 15 for soil applications as it's safe to do so. pH 7.6: Kind of high, but get used to it. There's not terribly much you can do about it (as mentioned, surface applied sulfur does not work very well). Fortunately, lawns are extremely tolerant of a pH in this range, although color will suffer a bit. OM 5.5%: In the Good range, so no specific work needs to be done here. Sulfur 13: Well within normal range. Phosphorus 147: While a bit low, it's nothing extreme and unlikely to be causing much in the way of visible problems. Still, with your pH, I'd really prefer this to be in the 260 range (higher pH levels inhibit phosphorus release). We use good old-fashioned starter fertilizer to do this--just get the cheapest as they all work the same. Recommendations below. Calcium 80.8%: High, but not a problem, and almost impossible to dispel. Certainly avoid any calcium sources. Magnesium 12.9%: On paper, a tad low. In reality, it's just fine--your very high Ca levels are masking some of the Mg in your soil. Your plants have no trouble getting all the magnesium they need, and then some. Don't add more. Potassium 1.8%: This is short on paper, and looks shorter in the soil than it really is. It should be enhanced, but not quite to the levels their recommendations listed. We use potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash) for this, which some garden stores and landscape places carry--or they'll order it for you. Recommendations below. Minor Elements: Fine, but I do mention iron and boron below. Iron 110: Just fine and not a problem, but it won't produce the best color at a pH of 7.6. Whenever you like, you can apply Milorganite at the bag rate to very slowly raise this. Boron 0.55: A tad low. This won't be an issue, but I would like to correct it. We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. 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 7.5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendations: May 10: Apply 3 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. Memorial Day: Feed the lawn with starter fertilizer at the bag rate. June 15: Apply 3 tablespoons per thousand square feet (not a misprint!) of 20 Mule Team Borax. Labor Day: Feed the lawn with starter fertilizer at the bag rate. October 1: Feed the lawn with starter fertilizer at the bag rate. October 15: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet....See Morehoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
13 years agojordanz
13 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
13 years agoclydeaustin
9 years agolgteacher
9 years agoPuppet2
9 years agoPhylis
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agochezron
9 years ago
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