Soil test results, feed me phosphorus??
Mike K.
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just had my first soil test completed (Penn State). I'm reviewing the results and trying to make sense of the recommendations regarding phosphorus. Is it as easy as using a fertilizer in the proportions recommended? This is my first time taking care of a lawn, and I've owned the home for 2 years, having used organic services in the past, that didn't seem to work very well, nor did they ever test. Also my lawn is not all KBG - I had selected the mixed category as I have some blend of rye and fescue and maybe some kbg, not sure. I do know for sure that I have some spreading either "tall fescue" or "quack grass" patches - haven't figured this out yet. Thank you.
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Mike K.
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Soil Test Results
Comments (6)Most liming recommendations from universities are incorrect. They must all use the same software or something. You are deficient in both Ca and Mg. I would start out by using the high bag rate of a good calcitic lime now. It's still too early to fertilize in PA, so don't worry about that yet, and don't use weed and feed products. Kill weeds separately from fertilizing with either a hose end sprayer or a tank sprayer. Weed B Gone Max will take out the majority of weeds, and Weed B Gone Clover Chickweed and Oxalis can be used on well clover, chickweed, and oxalis as well as some other tough weeds like creeping charlie. Since your P levels are OK, they are recommending you use fertilizers with higher K than usually since you are deficient in K. If you can find straight potash, usually labeled as 0-0-50, you can use that in about a month, but it is hard to find, and can be pricey, but it will raise your K level, and you can use it almost any time unlike high nitrogen fertilizers. You want to fertilize with N in May, Sept, Oct, and Nov. Conversely if you want you can apply organic fertilizer any time which will raise your OM levels and provide N but at a slow rate which want cause unnecessary flushes of growth at the wrong time of the year....See MoreHow to amend soil based on soil test results
Comments (1)I know next to nutthin 'bout reading soil tests but a couple of advisories. Depending on who did the testing, some labs give recommendations for lime for agricultural purposes where they expect the lime to be mixed into the soil rather than spread on top. Keep in mind that grass does best in soil that is at a PH of 6.5ish or so.and that it is much easier to increase PH than it is to reduce it. So if you add to much lime... Second thing to keep in mind is that you do not want to add more than one pound of N per month at a time to an existing lawn. Also too much N in a seed bed is not beneficial to seedlings and can kill germenating seeds Thirdly, N and P leach pretty quickly, so adding more than the plant can use before they leach out is both a waste of money and bad for the enviorment. Maybe there are some soil test readers here, If not, I'd suggest you re-do the test with Logan Labs and pay for them to make recommendations. Just my two cents....See MoreSoil test results
Comments (5)Your basic problem was going to A&M for a soil test instead of The Texas Plant and Soil Lab. For $35 you will get all your testing, the testing you didn't want to pay for, and more. Best of all they don't destroy the organic matter with hydrochloric acid to do the test, so they can tell you with a lot more accuracy what nutrition is AVAILABLE to your plants. For your iron/zinc deficiency, find some greensand and apply at 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet. You won't find greensand at your big box stores. Give it three full weeks to works its magic and you will be back where you want to be. Ironite doesn't seem to have any effect in our soil. Living Earth Technology makes some excellent products. I won't buy anything else. They tried to enter the San Antonio compost market on an industrial scale but the competition down here is pretty firmly entrenched. I can get their bagged material at Lowe's. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium need to be in proper proportion to each other. The Texas Plant and Soil Lab would have explained that to you. They would make their recommendation based on the ratio of one to the others, not the 'total amount allowed by law.' Kelp and blood meal are not the only sources of fertilizer. Many of us use ground up grains (corn, soy, alfalfa, flax, cottonseed, etc.) to feed the soil microbes. Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Plant and Soil Lab...See MoreConsidering a soil test. Will someone help me with the results??
Comments (15)Surprisingly, they were close on the pH, but that was luck more than anything else--drinking water happens to have a pH close to your soil pH, that's all. They were miles off on phosphorus and potassium and they missed a few things that are kind of important. If you read other tests, I go step by step and explain why something is important and the source I recommend. Recommendations are at the bottom. EC 23.3: Quite high. Normally, I'd go looking for excess calcium, but in this case that's not the cause. You simply have a heavy, highly organic soil that may or may not have considerable clay in it (but it sure has a lot of silt). This soil won't change quickly and requires massive amounts of material to force a change, but also doesn't drift quickly. Once corrected, testing every other year is more than sufficient. pH 7.4: A symptom, not the disease, and not a barrier to a perfectly gorgeous lawn. While there's no easy way to change this, some of the recommendations below may nudge it down a bit. OM 10.4%: Fantastic! This heads right into the "Extraordinarily Good" range. Certainly mulch mow, mow in your fall leaves, and consider feeding organically if you wish, but there's no need to work on this. Sulfur 15: Exactly normal, with plenty of room to play. We don't need that much room. Phosphorus 126: Low for your pH, but not deficient. Still, this is impacting your grass (and flowers, if you have any) quality. Target here will be about 220-240. I recommend the cheapest starter fertilizer you can get your hands on, with application rates below. I'd like to fold in a fourth app before your next test, but the climate in Green Bay simply doesn't allow it. Calcium 72.6%: A hair high, but certainly not a problem. No calcium is required. Magnesium 19.8%: Very high, although entirely workable. This might give you a tight, impenetrable soil at levels this high as your Ca:Mg ratio is only 6.1. It's not awful, but it's a little low--and there's nothing we can do about it here (actually, there is, but it's not worth bothering when the situation is this marginal). Avoid magnesium sources including Epsom salt and dolomitic limestone. Both would be a severe mistake. Potassium 3.2%: It's OK, but should be enhanced to remove the soil deficit showing above of 144 #/A. We use potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash) to do this, which you can often buy at local garden stores (or they'll order it for you) or landscaping shops. You can get it online, but the prices tend to be poor. Recommendations below. Minor elements: Most are fine, except Boron (mentioned below). I talk about copper (high) and iron (meh) below as well. Iron 99: Not deficient, but at your pH definitely not going to produce great color in the lawn. Whenever you like, apply Milorganite at bag rate to slowly lift this (and very gently feed the lawn). Copper 20.1: Very high. Definitely avoid significant copper sources (not that there are many, although some moss killers use copper sulfate). Excess copper kills roots and some plants are sensitive to even mildly high levels (grass is not). Boron: We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. 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: August 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 20 Mule Team Borax at 4 tablespoons (not a misprint) per thousand square feet. September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. May 1, 2016: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Labor Day, 2016: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate....See Moreazdoctor
8 years agoUser
8 years ago
PROJ Gil Organic
8 years ago
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