Help with Logan Lab soil test results

9 years ago

Hello everyone! I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to join in. I got a soil test done through Logan Labs and I'm looking for some input on what I can do to help things.

A little background....this is a new construction home that we closed on in January. The sod was laid in November so it was dormant when it was laid (at least I believe it was) and it's still dormant. There is no root growth yet but I'm hoping that changes in the upcoming weeks. I am located in NW Atlanta so it's starting to act like spring a little.

The sod is Bermuda, about 4,000 sq feet of it. The builder told me it is common bermuda but admitted he wasn't sure. After reading more, it's likely I have Tifway 419 so I've asked the builder to confirm with the sod farm. I should hear back on Friday.

I've read the Bermuda Bible and have it bookmarked. This is what prompted the soil test. When I did the test, I was worried to see no topsoil laid under the sod. It was just hard, red, Georgia clay.

So I've been waiting patiently to get the results back which came today. To my surprise, I expected worse. Now, I'm a complete noob to this but I've tried reading to get an idea of what is "good" and "bad" numbers. It looks like I'll be seeing some lime in my near future to help balance the pH levels and add calcium. I know my TEC is a little low but not positive what directly effects that. Organic matter seems low as well.

But again, I am completely new to this so I'm not sure what I need to do to help the soil out. Any input from you guys is greatly appreciated. If you need any further info, I'll be happy to provide it. Thanks in advance!

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Comments (3)

User
9 years ago
It's not bad, really, but you do have several issues. Let's go through step by step.

Exchange Capacity: 7 is fine, and indicates a sandier soil with silt--and very little clay. You can increase your organic matter levels to slowly raise this a bit.

Organic Matter: 2.17% is low but not abysmal. Feed organically when you can to slowly raise this. It'll also make your pH matter less. Bermuda's demanding, and this year will include a lot of starter fertilizer. Still, you can add in an extra organic feeding whenever you like to increase this. The grass won't mind the extra nitrogen.

Sulfur 27: Right in the normal range, with plenty of margin for soil amendments (which tend to be sulfur based).

Phosphorus 65: And right on cue, here's an issue. Phosphorus should be around 200 for a normal pH and for Bermuda. This is severely impacting grass quality. My recommendations are below.

Calcium 54%: Low, we'll want this in the 65% range for Bermuda. Because magnesium levels are normal, we'll need to use a calcitic lime like Mir-A-Cal or Encap. Cheap lime is going to destroy the calcium-magnesium ratio.

Magnesium 12%: Exactly where it should be, no adjustment required.

Potassium 3.4%: While a touch trim, it's nothing to worry about. With all the other adjustments, I'm content to let this ride another year.

Most Minor Elements: Fine except boron...

Boron <0.2: Deficient, and this is also impacting your grass quality. While I wouldn't normally adjust the minor elements while also doing two major ones, this is an exception to that rule.

To adjust boron, mix the recommended number of tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax (available in the laundry section of your supermarket) in 1 bag of Milorganite (Home Depot or other retailer) in a wheelbarrow. Keep mixing until fully distributed, then put in your spreader and apply at exactly the recommended rate. One bag of Milo covers 2,500 square feet. Don't overapply; boron can be an issue if amounts go too high, although the levels I have you set at will be fine at any reasonable error level.

Iron 123: While this is certainly not deficient, you may notice the color of your lawn fades a bit as the calcium works in and the pH rises (higher pH levels block iron absorption). If that's disappointing, you can slip in extra feeding with Milorganite whenever you want to add more iron and deepen the color.

Recommendations:

I'm guessing for Georgia and Bermuda that the grass is back and functional around mid-April. That might be wrong, so if so, just shift the feeding with starter fertilizer around appropriately. Just keep 2 weeks between any feeding and a soil amendment, so this schedule has a great deal of flexibility in it. I'm also guessing last feeding will be around October 15.

April 1: Apply 4 pounds per thousand square feet Encap or Mir-A-Cal calcitic limestone.

April 15: Feed with any off the shelf starter fertilizer at bag rate.

May 1: Apply 7.5 tablespoons borax in Milorganite per 2,500 square feet.

May 15: Starter at bag rate.

June 15: Starter at bag rate.

July 15: Feed with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

August 15: Feed with a high-nitrogen fertilizer.

September 1: Apply 4 pounds per thousand square feet Encap or Mir-A-Cal calcitic limestone.

September 15: Starter at bag rate.

October 1: Apply 7.5 tablespoons borax in Milorganite per 2,500 square feet.

October 15: Starter at bag rate.
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muherdatl
Original Author
9 years ago
Great analysis! Everything seems pretty straightforward. For a starter fertilizer, something like Lesco 18-24-12 should suffice? And do you have a preference on either Mir-A-Cal or Encap? I'm leaning Encap on my quick google search but will look into it more later this evening.

Thanks again for the awesome recommendations! This definitely helps get me going.
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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.
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Mercy? Seriously, Becky? BTW, this situation is pretty beyond anyone's level. @rcranf1 The only good news is that you have fairly decent iron levels. With a CEC of 2.5 (I saw the pics and you certainly have a beach sand soil) you have no soil storage to speak of for nutrients. No buffer, no space for reserves for a little insurance. Even if we could adjust all the nutrients perfectly, you'd be lucky to reach the bare minimum levels for a "not performing poorly" lawn and it would be back out of whack within a year if not a few months. We're talking minimums, not sufficiency levels. in ppm: Min S = 7, you : 7 in pounds per acre: Min P2O5 = 107, you: 73 (FYI sufficient is 112 to 232) Min Ca = 700, you: 719 (by the skin of your teeth) Min Mg = 100, you: 84 Min K = 80, you: 35 When you add to raise one (Ca, Mg, K, H, etc), you inevitably lower another. Although micros are seldom an issue for turf grasses as long as they are present in some amount, your Mn and B are so low that they may be deficient enough to create issues. There are so many conundrums here. Sand doesn't hold water, so you're going to need to water daily, watering is going to exacerbate nutrient leaching out of the soil. To increase CEC of the existing soil, you can add OM, but a thick layer of raw OM material on the surface is going to hold moisture and create a breeding ground (just like thatch) for disease and fescue is pretty susceptible to disease. You could till in OM, but that can be tricky. You could bring in a quality top soil, but that can be expensive and quality is a gamble. You could spoon feed the primary nutrients on a continuing basis, but that takes a lot of effort and the only way to perfect it is to take a saturated paste test prior to each application for maybe two years and that's effort and expense. I'm sorry, but the simplest I have for your current conditions with fescue would be: May 1, June 1 and September 1: apply Milo then 1# of Urea Late November. or Apply 1# of slow release synthetic June 1, September 1 and 1# Urea late November and 1# of Triple Superphosphate April 1, May 1, June 1 and October 1. In either case apply 1# of SOP (potassium sulfate) May 1, June 1, August 1 and September 1. Then test again next year the day before the June 1 apps. If this were me, I'd walk the neighborhood (looks like newer construction) and ask those people who have a nice lawn what they had done to get it. Added top soil? What type of grass. How they fertilize. How they water? Who they hired or bought from. In other words I'd collect all the information I could get my hands on to help me make a plan I can live with and afford.
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User
9 years ago
Whatever starter fertilizer that's in that range and is cheapest is great. If that's Lesco, it's good stuff.

I have no preference between Mir-A-Cal and Encap, so whichever is easier to get (or, again, cheaper) is perfect. Any other calcium carbonate based very finely ground (and pelletized if you prefer) calcitic lime will also be fine, just keep the magnesium percentages as low as possible. Under 1% is best, but anything under 5% would be no problem. Amounts may adjust depending on which one you end up with--my numbers were for Mir-A-Cal or Encap.
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Help with Logan Lab soil test results

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