It's unlikely the test kits were even reasonably accurate, so I wouldn't assume you have a high P potting mix. Even if it were, it would be temporary as potting mixes just don't hold onto nutrients very long. In other words I wouldn't worry about the readings. The 14-14-14 will be fine as will the 15-30-15. Between the 2 I would prefer the 14-14-14 and would return the 15-30-15 to the store if that's an option. On these forums we sometimes spend a lot of time talking about what the ideal is and how to get as close to it as possible. This doesn't mean that things won't do well with something less than the ideal. I think the 14-14-14 will do fine for your plants. Maybe exchange the 15-30-15 for a MG 24-8-16 and you can use that if the time release stuff isn't providing enough nutrients for the veggies. You are likely fine for a season on the calcium because the potting mixes you are using are limed already. If you really want more calcium you could simply scratch in some gypsum and it will release calcium over time. This wouldn't change the pH.

I spoke with the Master Gardner helpline and she suggested sulfur to acidify the soil. I think it will take awhile to see results from that though. She also recommended cottonseed meal. I called the company I purchased the soil from today. They were very apologetic and are checking their sources of manure to see if they have changed anything (i.e. putting lime out in the stalls). He offered to purchase and come to my house to apply blood meal or fish emulsion, which they believe will help for now. Anyone have any objections/opinions to blood meal in this situation? If I'm understanding what I've read, blood meal would be good for both iron and nitrogen deficiency.

amnorcal: Let me give you an analogy: Your body requires various nutrients in order to survive. You could eat nothing but junk food and take synthetic vitamins to meet your body's daily requirement for each nutrient. However, you body is not designed to function that way, so things are going to start to go wrong with your health. If you eat more whole foods that contain natural vitamins and minerals you will be much more healthy. Your soil is like your body. You can feed it inorganic nutrients, but if that is all you do, it is at risk of becoming ill. Notice that I said SOIL, not grass. The key to establishing a great lawn is to recognize that you need to understand your soil and learn how to make it healthy so that it, in turn, will provide an ideal environment for your lawn. Now, there are all types of people who come to this forum. Some just want a quick answer and they're on their way. They'd just prefer to have a lawn company do whatever they do and be done with it. You, I take it, are not at that extreme as you took the trouble to get a soil test, such as it is, and made some calculations and are making the effort to reseed. I assume that means you have more than a passing interest in achieving a good result with your hard work. Assuming that's right, read on. Otherwise you could probably do whatever UT said and you might end up with a decent result (buy why leave things to chance?). So you asked what rookie mistakes you did so far. I'll tell you what I see but don't take it negatively because nobody is here to criticize. Oh, and my last disclaimer is that I am not an expert, but I believe I know the extent of my knowledge and am confident in what I write in this post. I'm sure someone here will correct me if I get something wrong. Mistakes: 1. fertilizing in early spring, 2. planning to reseed without understanding why your lawn failed (it might not be due to low P and K), 3. making soil amendments (Lesco 6-12-12) based on an incomplete soil test, 4. it is pretty nearly impossible for you to have thatch. I know you used that term loosely to describe dead grass, but thatch is a very specific problem that points to certain incorrect practices, so you have to be careful about terminology, 5, In general, you have "Ready, Fire, Aim" syndrome. You don't realize that more information is required before you can take corrective action. If P,K is your real problem, then you got lucky but if is isn't then you've wasted a whole year. This isn't your fault. How are you supposed to know that UT is going to give you an incomplete crap soil test? Mother Nature only allows you to do things on her schedule, so recovering from a mistake now could take another year to get right. If you put in a little more effort in gathering some information, you'll get good advice on whether to use a slit seeder, or to reseed with other methods, or to do something else beforehand. Sometimes a slit seeder won't work at all, like if the ground is uneven or lumpy. So, if you are still on board, the first thing you need to do is get a soil test from Logan Labs in Ohio. Their turnaround is very quick, so it won't interfere with your fall schedule. I put my last sample in the mail on Friday and I got my results back by email on Wednesday. Upload a copy of the results (convert the .pdf file to a .jpg first) and morpheus will be able to give you a program to get things in shape. If you don't want to do a lot of work, he will tell you what will give you the biggest bang for the buck. However, if you are willing to do some basic lawn feeding and mowing, you'll have the best lawn in the neighborhood in short order. Second, search this forum for "jar test" for soil, and do a jar test. This will give an idea of how sandy/silty/clay like your soil is. While not 100% necessary, it is easy and does help. It is also funny for the rest of us in the forum because everybody (myself included) is absolutely convinced that they have clay soil. The results ALWAYS (ok 99%) come back with virtually no clay. Doh! Soil chemistry has a lot to do with how compact your soil seems to be. Get the chemistry right, and the soil opens up. Also, a photo never hurts. OK, I've written enough. I'm not trying to bash you. It's just that I came here believing that companies like Scott's knew best and I'd just do what they say on the bag and I'd get a few pointers about my new sod in this forum. My eyes were opened to the ripoff practices in play with fertilizer manufacturers coupled with the ignorance of many lawn care companies. Bottom line - just take a little more time and gather a little more information on your soil before you do anything. Regards...

You, too, and good luck with your project. I've certainly thought about soil testing, and have always been stymied by not knowing who could do it. And the answer is idiotically simple: go to our local nursery and ask. Instead I'd rather do it the hard way (and it is hard). I never claimed to be a smart gardener. About my soil amending and fertilizing practices: I was much influenced by a book, 'Teaming with Microbes', that was recommended to me by my horticulturalist sister. Basically it talked about the importance of establishing a thriving soil microlife that then nourishes the garden plants. The gardener establishes a virtuous (as opposed to vicious) cycle in which the microlife supplies nutrients to the plants, which grow, die, and the detritus of which feeds the soil microorganisms which recycle the nutrients. Getting the process started is the hard part, in land like ours which is poor in organic matter--hence all the holes and amending--but which, once the cycle gets going well, can pretty much be left to itself. We have so much land to turn into garden that the work is enormous. But I look out my living room window right now at the garden outside (it used to be the farm courtyard), and I think, this works. I don't fertilize my two-story tall 'Jaune Desprez', the substantial shrubs of pittosporum, sarcococca, myrtle, the hardy palms and Tea roses. The bed gets pruning clippings and plant debris, and everything grows fine. Of course we have our clay soil. But if you look at Florida, for example, much of it has very poor sandy soil. And yet jungles grow there. The nutrition isn't coming from the mineral-rich soil, and not from any added fertilizer. It's due to the recycling of nutrients.