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Soil test results for struggling Bermuda lawn

9 years ago

Finally got around to doing this, front Bermuda thinning at tree bases, lots of puanna, Back yard is above septic and field lines.

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Comments (4)

User
9 years ago
This soil has a bit of a split personality in one or two ways, but it's fairly minor. Post correction this year, you can test both front and back in the same test. I've kept recommendations that go on both on the same dates at the same amounts.

EC 4.5/5.8: Pretty sandy soil, probably with a little silt in it. It's the type of soil you have to keep an eye on as it'll drift pretty quickly. On the up side, it's also easy to correct.

OM 2.1/2.7%: In the Fair range. Given the lower EC, I'd like to see this come up as high as possible. Certainly consider organic feeding, mulch mow, mow all fall leaves, and import leaves from lawns that don't have problems.

Sulfur 11/19: Both good answers with plenty of margin to play with.

Phosphorus 27/386: Very short in the front, well into luxury consumption in the back. I've recommended starter fertilizer to rebalance the front below. Just buy the cheapest; bag rate will apply around 1 pound of P no matter what you choose.

Calcium 64%-ish: Both in the optimal range, although the soil shows a little bit of shortage in both areas. I've recommended Encap or Mag-I-Cal calcitic lime to raise this below. Cheaper limes are less effective, have the wrong chemical balance, and take much longer to work.

Magnesium 11.7/9.0%: Both decent answers, but again, I'd like to enhance these for performance. Pick up a nice big bag of Epsom salt from your local drugstore in the First Aid or Bath sections. It's a fast, cheap way of enhancing magnesium.

Potassium 4.0%/4.8% The front is a touch short. Most landscape or garden shops can order potassium sulfate (potash of sulfate) for you, or you can order it online.

Minor Elements: Copper (front) and boron (front and back) both need a tap...zinc is marginal out front, but I'm ignoring it this year. Copper sulfate is available online, or at pool stores. Our boron source is 20 Mule Team Borax, available at the grocery store in the laundry section in a blue and white box.

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 and copper stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and copper sulfate, 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 and 5 tablespoons of copper sulfate (for the front only on the copper).

Iron's rather low, and this one's easy. Whenever you like, apply Milorganite at bag rate (the copper and boron only go once, on August 15). That will add some organic matter and slowly raise the iron, plus add some available iron that the grass can absorb before it binds to the soil.

Recommendations:

Front:

June 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

June 15: Apply 2 pounds of Encap or Mag-I-Cal per thousand square feet.

July 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

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

August 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

August 15: Apply 4 tablespoons 20 Mule Team borax and 2 tablespoons of copper sulfate per thousand square feet via the Milorganite method above.

September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

September 15: Apply 3 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet (front only).

October 15: Apply 1 pound of Epsom salt per thousand square feet.

May 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

Back:

June 15: Apply 2 pounds of Encap or Mag-I-Cal per thousand square feet.

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

August 15: Apply 4 tablespoons 20 Mule Team borax per thousand square feet via the Milorganite method above. Do not apply copper to the back.

September 15: Apply 2 pounds of Encap or Mag-I-Cal per thousand square feet (back only).

October 15: Apply 1 pound of Epsom salt per thousand square feet.
tig488
Original Author
9 years ago
amazing, thanks for all the help and advice, im eager to see what happens.
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According to my calculations, you are short about 2 lb/k of P2O5 (phosphorus) and 4 lb/k of K2O (potassium). Probably the easiest way to get that 4 lb/k of potassium is to use a balanced NPK fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. It would also give you 4 lb/k of nitrogen and 4 lb/k of phosphorus. You don't need that much phosphorus but it won't harm anything (except possibly the mycorrhizae). You want to avoid nitrogen in the summer. So if you went with the balanced fertilizer, you would be applying probably 3 applications, one a month for mid August, September, October. The 4th could be next year. Divide the NPK number into 100 to get the application rate (example, for 10-10-10, divide 10 into 100 to get 10 lb/k rate). An alternative is to find SOP, potassium sulfate, 0-0-50. You could apply that once a month, even in the summer, at 2 lb/k for four months. That would take care of the potassium. Two applications of starter fertilizer in the fall would take care of the phosphorus. Since you're planning to overseed, it would make sense to use this plan, as you could do an application of starter fertilizer at seeding and another a month later. Milorganite could substitute for the second application of starter in the fall. Use bag rate for starter or 25 lb/k of Milorganite at 5-4-0 to get 1 lb/k of phosphorus. As for nitrogen, the balanced fertilizer plan would give you 4 lb/k, which is more than you need for the year considering that you have already applied nitrogen this spring. If you use the alternative plan (which I think is better), you would get almost a lb/k with each application of starter fertilizer (1.25 with Milorganite at 25 lb/k) and then you could do a winterizer application of a quick release nitrogen in late fall after the grass has stopped growing but before the ground freezes. That would get you off to a good start next spring, when you could hold off on fertilizer until around Memorial Day. Your organic matter is low. It's good to leave clippings on the lawn when you mow. This fall mulch mow any leaves in your neighborhood that you can gather. If this is new construction, there may not be many trees but do what you can. The compost you're planning will help. Mulch mowing leaves is like making your own compost for the lawn --and you don't have to spread it! Water in your applications. Milorganite does not need to be watered in. Phosphorus tends to get tied with quickly with calcium in alkaline soil. It's there, just not available to the grass. Using organic forms of phosphorus, like Milorganite, enables a slow release of phosphorus. If you test next year and phosphorus is low, it's probably because of the alkaline soil. It's still there, just unavailable. Such is life for alkaline soil.
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tig488
Original Author
8 years ago
Morpheus, can I substitute penningtons fast acting lime for the encal or mag-I-cal. I can't find either of those local.
User
8 years ago
Yes, and thank you for pointing out that product to me! The stuff is 96.5% calcium carbonate, so it's fine!

I can't find a sieve size, so I'm not sure if it's going to be the same speed, faster, or slower than the others, but it really doesn't matter over the long haul. Use it at the same amounts given above. The price seems competitive with the others as well.

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