"just me 6" ... I agree with Kimmsr that you want to get the lime in there to start working, BUT I don't know that I think doing so before the builder levels things out makes sense. I just picture you distributing the lime well across the top of the soil, and the bulldozer coming and scraping the top 3 inches away here and filling in a dip there ... resulting in a really uneven distribution of the lime. If I were you I'd wait. If I read you right, we're just talking about waiting until Tuesday or Wednesday; I think waiting a few days is worthwhile to increase the chances you get your lime distributed pretty evenly. As to improving your "nasty sticky clay soil" ... lime will fix the pH, but I don't think it will affect the texture. You want better "tilth" ... not sure if a search on that word here will bring up articles that will help. Adding lots of organic material is the single best way to improve your tilth, for a variety of reasons. First, just mechanically, having lots of bits of organic stuff in between the sticky bits separates them and lets air and water in. Next, the soil beasties that are going to eat that organic stuff will, in the process, glue some of the clay particles together into aggregates (bigger bits), which tend to permit air and water to penetrate around/between them. Do you have a source of free municipal mulch? By that, I mean ground up leaves that a nearby city collected in the fall, let sit over the winter, and puts out for you to take the following year? That can be good stuff or it can be garbage-y. I have a couple of cities around me to choose from, and have a clear preference for one over another.... Alternately, if you're willing and able to spend, get a truckload of compost from a local nursery. Go there first to see what they'll sell you. My nursery sells it for $35/yard, and they're selling pretty nice stuff (ground a lot finer than the municipal free stuff, looks more decomposed, maybe is in a more managed pile over the winter?). Till it in to your soil after the builder and before you first plant. Then add more to the perennial beds. And keep adding more to any plants that can be mulched (nearly everything except grass) forever more. (Wood and bark mulches last longer, but ground up leaves feed the soil better.) By the way, don't let anyone sell you topsoil. You have plenty of the mineral component of soil already. You want more of the organic component, and that's the only part it makes any sense to pay anyone to haul to you. Don't let them talk you into a mix of compost and topsoil either ... that would be better for their profit, but not better for you. (UNLESS you have a shallow area you want to fill ... but then, the builder should fix that, right?) I know, I'm not giving a lot of advice on the soil test. But you asked how to make sticky clay better, and in my flower beds, compost and leaf mulch are what does it. - LCPW p.s. On the "posey power" ... hard to say without knowing what it is, and some facts about what KIND of clay you have. I have learned here that one kind of clay actually can be broken up well by a chemical additive that nurseries sell. But many many folks have asked about it and knowledgeable folks here have said, "you're in a part of the country with clay that won't be helped by that in the least". I'd say don't do it until you know more.

There is little you could do better for your lawn than switching to organic fertilizers. There are many to choose from. For me, the workhorse of organic fertilizer is soybean meal. It is rich in nitrogen, cost effective and usually available at farm animal feed stores. Many like to diversify their fertilizers by switching between soybean meal and corn meal or cracked corn, Alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) is also used. Commercial organic fertilizers are available from Scotts, Milorganite and others. Both are generally available at Lowes, Home Depot, or Mennards. Used Coffee grounds are very good and available free for the asking from Starbucks and other coffee stores. Cultural practices are very important. Mow high and water deeply but infrequently. Congratulations on your decision to switch to organic lawn care. If you spread alfalfa pellets just before a rain or irrigation, they will turn to mush and rabbits will not be interested in it. Bill Hill Here is a link that might be useful: Organic lawncare FAQ

This needs work, but at least the soil isn't in full collapse. What's good is very good, what's bad is very bad. On the up side, every issue can be fixed. I haven't seen you before, so here's the general rundown. I talk about the sections on the report below. At the extreme bottom, I give you recommendations on what to add and when to do it. My dates are only a guideline, but I do recommend allowing 2 weeks and 2 good rainfalls (or irrigations) between soil additions. Of all of the below, boron is the touchiest and the one where it's important not to make a mistake. Boron, in amounts over 2 PPM, is toxic to many plants (although grasses are very tolerant of it). Our target is 0.7 PPM, or 700 parts per billion. On the up side, I build an error margin into the recommendation so even if you make a moderate mistake you'll be fine. For this soil, and given how far it has to go, I'd plan on re-testing next July. With this soil, and these recommendations, I'd expect to see improvement in the grass no later than September of this year. EC 8.0: Most likely a sandy soil with some silt. Your soil will react kind of fast to added materials (usually a good thing), but also require re-testing more often (about every other year) as it'll drift easily. pH 5.0: My stars. Well, we'll work on this under the calcium and magnesium headings, but this isn't going to grow great grass. Or most anything else, although some berry bushes would like it. OM 5.9%: At the top of the Good range, bordering on Excellent. There's no specific need to enhance this, but more organic material would be a good thing to raise your EC a little bit. Sulfur 20: Normal, with plenty of room for me to play. I actually don't need much margin. Phosphorus 266: Optimal, with some margin against usage and leaching. No phosphorus required or desired this year, but you also don't have to specifically avoid phosphorus sources. This number is exactly where it should be, so adding or subtracting small amounts doesn't matter in the slightest. Calcium 32.8%: Deficient. This is setting off your pH problem from above (in part). For this, we use Mag-I-Cal, Encap, or Pennington Fast Lime. Cheaper limes require far more material, contain elements I don't want to add, and take forever to work. Or, another example of you get what you pay for... Recommendations are below. Magnesium 7.7%: Somewhat trim, my personal target is around 12% for this soil. Epsom salts, from your local drugstore in the bath or First Aid section, are used to raise this. Potassium 5.6%: While a touch high, that's not a problem with potassium and I prefer slightly high levels to slightly low ones. Potassium enhances disease resistance, cold and heat tolerance, and so on. Sodium 1.5%: Normal. While I wouldn't like to see this drift upward, it's certainly not a problem. Minor Elements: This is rare, iron is absolutely fine, particularly for fescues which aren't particularly demanding of iron. Most others are perfect, but boron is very low. I mention that next. Boron 0.26: Borderline deficient. 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 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendations: July 25: Apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. August 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand Epsom salt. September 1: Apply 4 tablespoons 20 Mule Team Borax per thousand square feet in Milorganite carrier as outlined above. September 15: Apply 1 pound per thousand Epsom salt. October 25: Apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. April 15, 2016: Apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime.

Arkansas Girl, weeks later? Do you remember where you heard that? When I experienced some fatigue four days after my second shot I looked up delayed reaction, and the only thing I found was a reference to four or five days, especially for those who reacted with a rash. In my case it would have been about two weeks, and then the reaction lasting over a week. That seems unlikely, but thanks for the thought. Debby, it started about two weeks after the second shot but it's still going on a week later.