Logan Labs soil results...need some recommendations.

9 years ago

Thanks for taking the time to interpret my Logan Labs results. My lawn
is appx 5 years old and is Bermuda 419. We bought this home 2 years
ago, and this is my second season. I live in Greenville, SC. I followed the Bermuda Bible last year and didn't quite get the
results I was hoping for. I have a total of 1500sqft (500sq front,
1000sqft back). I didn't get a soil test done last year, so this is the
first one I have done. I have places that are extremely tough to
penetrate the soil (1" with screwdriver), and some that i can get a
screwdriver in up to 3-4 inches after watering. I did try the shampoo
amendment without any real results. Well, here ya go...

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User

9 years ago

The actual chemist's recommended rate, not the bag. 18 pounds per K would turn your lawn yellow. 9 pounds per K per year is the accepted maximum rate for most soils, and even that's a touch high for an EC under 8. I do expect some yellowing at 10 per K per year, but nothing a little iron can't cure pretty quickly.

What we don't want to do is set off a high-pH (above 7) region of soil up top capping an acidic region below. It'll fix itself eventually, but it's a stress on the grass, binds iron, and creates unattractive lawn colors while simultaneously reducing photosynthesis severely.

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Comments (10)

User
9 years ago
Lordy. The crown for Worst Soil Test of 2015 initially goes to Prorange. Don't worry, it'll change hands again shortly. This soil has some problems (by which I mean a lot of problems) and I very much doubt your lawn is doing well at all.

EC 7.8: Within normal range, most likely a soil with some sand, some silt, no clay. Resources will drain out more easily than a higher EC soil, but it has the advantage of being an easy soil to change.

OM 1.95%: The high end of poor. Definitely mulch all your fall leaves, feed organically, import leaves, and so on. I'd like to see this hit 6% eventually, but that takes a long time. Raising this will raise your EC a little, plus make your pH matter less.

pH 5.0: Very acidic. Although a symptom and not the disease, this is low enough that your (very high) aluminum levels are starting to unlock and become available. Aluminum is a toxin.

Sulfur 44: High end, but I still have a little room to play with. Some of what I'm going to do will drop this anyway as it binds to calcium sulfate and washes out. In part, this is setting off your pH as it leaches calcium from the soil.

Phosphorus 90: Low. The target here is 200.

Calcium 40%: Off the charts low, severely deficient. Locate Encap or Mag-I-Cal calcitic lime and apply as below. Please note, I've slightly exceeded the recommended yearly application level, but I won't be doing that next year (you won't finish this year). This is so low that some exceptional actions are required. Some yellowing of your Bermuda may result but will go away as the calcium integrates--and you can always use Milorganite to add iron and turn the yellow back to green.

Magnesium 5.1%: Low. You can purchase Epsom salt at most drugstores in the First Aid or bath sections as it finds use in both. Get the large bag, it's cheap and you'll need it.

Potassium 2.2%: Although currently OK, this is about to fall off the cliff--plus the calcium and magnesium will displace some of it. Most landscape or garden shops will order potassium sulfate for you, or you can get it online (but shipping is expensive).

Most minor elements: Fine, or not far enough off to adjust this year when you have much bigger fish to fry. Boron is the exception, and with all this calcium, I mentioned iron below as well.

Boron 0.26: Deficient. Normally I'd ignore boron this year, but on this test, we can't. We use Milorganite as a carrier. 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 boron 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.

Iron 114: This is fine but won't produce the best color in most lawns. Plus calcium applications bind iron, turning grasses yellow. Whenever you like, or feel the color is poor, apply Milorganite at the bag rate to gently feed the lawn and add plenty of iron. Iron levels in soil rise slowly, but there's no rush.

Recommendations:

April 15: Apply Encap or Mag-I-Cal lime at 4 pounds per thousand square feet.

May 1: Feed with starter fertilizer (high second number) at the bag rate.

May 15: Apply 2 pounds of Epsom salt per thousand square feet.

May 15*: Apply 3 tablespoons of boron per thousand square feet.

June 1: Feed with starter fertilizer (high second number) at the bag rate.

June 15: Apply Encap or Mag-I-Cal lime at 3 pounds per thousand square feet.

July 1: Apply 3 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

August 1: Feed with starter fertilizer (high second number) at the bag rate.

September 1: Feed with starter fertilizer (high second number) at the bag rate.

September 15: Apply Encap or Mag-I-Cal lime at 3 pounds per thousand square feet.

October 1: Apply 2 pounds of Epsom salt per thousand square feet.

October 1*: Apply 3 tablespoons of boron per thousand square feet.

October 15: Apply 3 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

* I'd normally separate these two applications by some time period, but this schedule is already tight. It'll be fine, but you may not get as much of the boron to bind as I would normally hope. Again, it's not a resource we can ignore this year.
User
9 years ago
A few extra words that I didn't want to add to the novel above. I'm not surprised the shampoo failed here, the soil is resource-depleted. Try it again towards the end of this year and results should be far better. Shampoo works best when there are positive ions kicking around in the soil and, right now, about the only thing you have is a lot of hydrogen. That's not going to loosen up much, if at all.

Keep to Bermuda maintenance recommendations. The starter fertilizer counts as your feeding for that month, so a good chunk of the season is already covered.

You should see improvement in the grass by June, but it'll be slow at first.
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My Logan Labs results. Need help.
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Comments (3)
Your front and back tests are more than close enough that you can fold them together in the future and just do one. The numbers are all in range of sampling differences. As such, I'm using the front numbers. I'm going to guess from your locale that you have a southern grass (Bermuda, St. Aug, or the like) but please let me know. You only implied you were in Texas, and even so, extreme north Texas is compatible with some northern grasses. Also, something like centipede has entirely different requirements than the other two. EC 12.9: Both of these are probably a little inflated by the excess calcium, but we'll run with it. Your soil is more likely silt than not, with possibly some sand, but you'd have to do the jar test (probably with some vinegar) to be sure. pH 8.2: Always the symptom, never the disease, although this is quite high. It's no barrier to a great lawn, which is good because we aren't going to bring it down much, if at all. Sulfur is not very effective at altering soil pH when surface applied, and I doubt you want to till the whole soil to a depth of eight inches, mix in sulfur, and till again. Then replant. Besides, there's no need to do so. OM 0.9%: Very poor, almost the lowest number I've ever seen, but not quite. Always mulch mow. Throw any organic you can get at this soil. Mulch all fall leaves. Steal your neighbors' fall leaves and mulch them. That sort of thing. Sulfur 24: Good. We have some margin to work with, and I've got several recommendations. Phosphorus 27: Off the charts low. Starter fertilizer is any fertilizer with a high second number, like 18-24-6 or 20-27-5. Purchase whatever's cheapest and my recommendations are below. My normal target is 200, but due to your high pH I'm trying to decide between 300 and 350 here. Your pH is binding up a lot of phosphorus. Application of starter fertilizer will nudge your pH down a hair. We won't finish the adjustment this year, but re-test your soil next spring for a new baseline. Calcium 80%: Extremely high. Certainly never lime. Calcium isn't toxic at any level, so this isn't causing any problems except that the pH is high. Magnesium 15%: Although this looks optimal, my bet is that it's actually extremely high due to the calcium inflating the EC calculation. Never lime, never use a magnesium source. This is unlikely to be a problem as the calcium competes with it. Potassium 1.0%: Very low, just not quite as low as it looks due to the probably-inflated EC. Still, you need potassium. You can order potassium sulfate online (with shipping, it's expensive) or get it from most local landscapers or garden shops, who will order it for you (cheaper). Recommendations are below. We probably won't finish this year due to the high calcium, which competes with the potassium trying to bind up. Sodium 1%: Completely normal. High Na is a toxin. Most Minor Elements: Fine. Boron is a hair low, but I'm not inclined to adjust it this year (application of organic material will also raise this a touch). Copper could use a fair-sized tap, but ditto (and organics are usually copper-rich, relatively speaking). I've discussed iron and zinc below. Zinc 0.9: Low, particularly for your pH. We use Milorganite as a carrier, just as we do with boron. 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 zinc sulfate stick. Add the recommended amount of zinc and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So for a touch over 5,000 square feet, you'd use 1 bag of Milo per 2,500 square feet, and 6.0 tablespoons of zinc sulfate per 2,500 square feet. You can get zinc sulfate here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zinc-Sulfate-Monohydrate-Powder-35-5-Zn-2-Pounds/370418311221 Iron 101: Very low for your pH. You can apply Milorganite to the lawn at bag rate pretty much whenever you want (monthly or every other month is great) to slowly raise this. I have no target in mind, it's whenever the lawn holds a good green color without repeated applications of Milorganite. That depends on soil pH, grass type, grass cultivar, organic matter levels, and a ton of other things. You'll know when it's time to stop, the lawn will be a great color with or without the Milo. Recommendations (for Bermuda or St. Aug): Whenever you want: Apply organic fertilizer or grain meals at 10-20 pounds per thousand square feet. This includes Milorganite. April 15, give or take: Apply 4 tablespoons of zinc sulfate per thousand square feet. May 1: Feed with starter fertilizer at bag rate. May 15: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. June 1: Feed with starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 15: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. July 1: Feed with starter fertilizer at bag rate. August 1: Use a high nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer at bag rate. September 1: Feed with starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.
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Comments (6)
Mind you, I always think Logan's evaluations are a little too aggressive for the average lawn, but I completely agree with them on what to add (I just differ on how much and how quickly this should be added). Let's rewrite this for stuff you can get at the Home Depot (or whatever your local big box store is there). At least as far as the P goes. For K, I'd contact a local landscape or smaller garden shop and see if they'll order potassium sulfate (0-0-50) for you. It's the gentlest way of adding potassium, but even so we're not going to push it. They're really not kidding about the gypsum due to the sodium discussed below. Also, they didn't mention iron and should have. Sodium 3.2%/3.8%: This is incredibly high and going to be toxic to sodium-sensitive plants. Fortunately, most grasses are comparatively sodium tolerant, but this is cutting into your lawn quality. Given your high EC and the pounds per acre total (200 range), fairly large amounts of gypsum will be needed to dispel this. Gypsum turns bound sodium ions into sodium sulfate, a salt that washes away easily, and re-binds calcium to the soil. On average, this will tend to lower your pH a little bit. Iron 80-ish: With your pH and grass type, this isn't deficient but isn't going to produce very good color. Whenever you like, regardless of anything else going down, you can apply Milorganite at bag rate to slowly raise your iron and gently feed the lawn (organically, which won't over-amplify your starter or nitrogen applications). While this'll slowly raise your organic matter percentage, you don't really need much help in that department. Your OM levels are fine, but higher is always better within reason. Recommendations: July 1: Starter fertilizer at bag rate on both tested areas. 10 pounds per thousand square feet of gypsum in both areas. July 15: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on both tested areas. August 1: Starter fertilizer at bag rate on both tested areas. 10 pounds per thousand square feet of gypsum in both areas. August 15: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on both tested areas. September 1: Starter fertilizer at bag rate on Outside Lawn only (nitrogen fert on the rest). September 15: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on both tested areas. October 1: 10 pounds per thousand square feet of gypsum in both areas. October 15: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on Center Lawn only. April 15, 2016: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on Center Lawn only. May 15, 2016: Potassium sulfate at 2 pounds per thousand on Center Lawn only.
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Logan Labs Soil Test Results & Recommendations Help
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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.
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Got a LoganLabs Soil Test, need help translating it - Morpheuspa?
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Comments (55)
"I assume azdoctor has reviewed your lab results? Unless someone is willing to go the extra mile and explain their rationale, I'd just ignore them. Maybe he thinks lawns don't need any chemical other than nitrogen, but we'll never know unless he decides it is worth his time to explain his understanding of healthy soil chemistry." Sorry - I did not explain myself very well. I based my recommendations on the soil test provided. It was not a blanket statement. Grasses, like all other plants require N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cl, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Zn. The soil test indicated that most of these did not require adjustment, hence my recommendation. There is a sliver of truth to some of the comments regarding BCSR and soil structure. We use exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) to evaluate the impact of sodium on soil structure. Alternatively, we can use the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) a ratio of the chemical activities of sodium to calcium plus magnesium. These are routinely used, and are not nutrient based (sodium is not a plant nutrient). These are most important in high CEC, clayey soils. Structure is less important in sandy soils. Somewhere I posted some articles that describe results of tests comparing BCSR and SLAN. Science is not a belief system. It is a method of evaluating facts. Read up on the facts and then make a conclusion - NOT A BELIEF.
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prorange
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks so much for the recommendations! So I will try and give you guys a couple of pics so you can see what I'm working with. After reading that, I feel lucky to have had the grass in the condition that it was! The front yard is worse than the backyard, not that these pics reflect that. The backyard fills in more than the front.

Front yard Aug 2014:
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u397/prorange13/Lawn%202014/Lawn%202014%20web/20140730_101153_zpss9pqxinp.jpg

Back yard Aug 2014:

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u397/prorange13/Lawn%202014/Lawn%202014%20web/20140812_170302_zpszk87m8qt.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u397/prorange13/Lawn%202014/Lawn%202014%20web/20140812_170248_zpsyp18a4aq.jpg

Back yard June 2014:

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u397/prorange13/Lawn%202014/Lawn%202014%20web/IMAG0572_zpskyifp1ii.jpg
User
9 years ago
That's actually a lot better than I had imagined, so I'm guessing you fed well and mowed short (plus watered correctly). Congrats!

Post application of this stuff, maintenance will get a LOT easier, feedings will work better, and the grass will spread. A lot.
prorange
Original Author
9 years ago
Yeah I followed the Bermuda Bible very closely last season. For clarification you mentioned, "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." If my total lawn is 1500sqft, are you saying I need 7.5 tablespoons of borax, or the equivalent ratio of 7.5tbp/2500sqft Milo for 1500sqft of lawn?
User
9 years ago
Oops, nope! That would be per 2,500 square feet.

For 1,500 square feet, mix in 4.5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax into the entire bag, then apply that over 1,500 square feet. I'd recommend setting the spreader low and going over it several times to assure even coverage.

While that'll apply Milo at a rather high rate, that's not an issue. It won't burn, overfeed, or do anything unpleasant.
prorange
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Morhpeus,

I was reading the label for Mag i Cal, and it reads that for soil ph less than 6.0 the application rate is 9.0 lbs/k for spring and fall. Should I stick to the application rates you listed above which would be about 10lbs/k for the entire season? You mentioned that your application rate is slightly higher than the recommended rate, so I was a little confused. Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it!
prorange
Original Author
9 years ago
Morpheuspa,

I bought some Lesco 18-24-12 starter fertilizer. I just applied this at a rate for 1.0 lb of nitrogen/1k. I was going by Bermuda Bible recommendations, is that correct? After the application, it dawned on me that maybe I should have been applying based on the phosphorus number. I just want to make sure I'm following your recommendations for the rest of the season. Thanks again!
User
9 years ago
Really, it's bag rate for the starter, which will tend to target 1 pound of P or so, and about 0.8 pounds of N.

Doing it once, there's no problem, but I'd go bag rate on the rest of the applications and use a little high nitrogen fertilizer to round out the N if you want to. Even if you don't, there won't be any issues on your lawn. 0.8 pounds N is close enough.
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Logan Labs soil results...need some recommendations.

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