Need help interpreting Logan Lab results

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Small backyard in Dallas, TX area. St Augustine grass has essentially disappeared. We have tree trimmed yearly to allow enough sunlight - grass basically disappeared in 2013 - during the drought and heavy water restrictions. Also had grandkids playing back there a lot during that time. Resodded it in 2014 and it appeared to be doing well. Spring 2015 - massive rains....and it was very sparse all last year. So, before we resod again we decided to get soil analyzed so we can do this right this time. Any help is appreciated.

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Comments (4)

dchall_san_antonio
8 years ago
The fastest way to get rid of St Aug is to never water it and mow it as low as possible. Your mowing height looks good. You have considerable shade, but not too much for St Aug. It will be much more dense in full sun, but it will survive in that.

The second fastest way to get rid of it is to get a fungal disease started. When you get a disease then adding more sod just contributes to the amount of dead grass you have. The only way I've been successful getting rid of disease in my St Aug was to use corn meal at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Corn meal, as it decomposes, attracts a predatory fungus that feeds on the disease fungus. It takes 3 weeks to see improvement and another 3 to see recovery. Corn meal is also an organic fertilizer, so it's not going to hurt anything if you want to put some of that down. A close up of any St Augustine you have left might be enlightening. Close up means 3 inches away.

Most people water improperly. Watering should be deep and infrequent. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Infrequent means no more than once a week in the hottest heat of summer. With temps in the 80s you can back off to once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s no more than once every 3 weeks. The rest of the year you can water once a month. Watering like this should make it very hard for a fungus disease to get started. It should also minimize weed pressure.

Mow at the mower's highest setting. I think you've got this one figured out.
dclove975040 thanked dchall_san_antonio
dclove975040
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Help interpreting Logan Labs report
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Comments (8)
Front yard: Very good, pH is in the sweet spot (6.3-6.8). Organic matter is good, more would be better especially since that soil is a sandy loam, and doesn't hold nutrients as well as say a silty loam. Sulfur is fine. Phosphorus is huge, no need to add any for years. As you can see, you are a bit unbalanced with the calcium and magnesium. It's not a huge issue, although I would add some Mg. There's two ways to do this, dolomitic lime, or epsom salts. Lime of course will raise you pH a bit, which isn't a big deal, but it takes a while for the Mg to get into the soil. Epsom salts, or magnesium sulfate is much more soluble, and will also raise you sulfur a bit, which is fine. 2 lbs per 1000 square feet for epsom salts, dolomitic is between 20-40 lbs, probably 20 since you aren't really concerned with raising pH, totally your call on which you want to use. Potassium is fine, raising it won't hurt, so when you fertilize, you could use say 28-0-11 if you want to this fall. I don't do micronutrients, but your boron looks a bit low, the others are fine. Back yard: Different story here. pH is pretty low, and as expected, so is your calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Calcitic lime at the corrective rate on the bag (usually 9-10 lbs. per 1000), or you can use Cal Turf Pro. You will be liming every 90 days when the ground isn't frozen for the next two years give or take. Epsom salts at 2 lbs per 1000. When you fertilize this fall, use a high potassium fertilizer, or if you can find it, potassium sulfate, 2 lbs per 1000 for the next three months. Again boron looks low. Organic matter is OK, but more would be better. Lime should go down now, or two weeks after you fertilize. Epsom salts can go down with lime or fertilizer, and I would do two applications this year about a month apart.
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Need help with Logan Lab test results
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Comments (2)
The Total Exchange Capacity (M. E.) is another way of expressing the Cation Exchange Capacity or the ability of a soil to transfer nutrients, moisture, etc. Perhaps this link will help explain that for you. http://soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm Soil organic matter is a bit low. While 5 percent is not bad many of us organic growers prefer something in the 6 to 8 percent range. Calcium is a bit low and Magnesium is a bit high and that means the Calcium to Magnesium ratio is out of kilter. Phosphorus is about where it should be (25 to 85 ppm, divide pounds per acre by 2 to get ppm) while Potassium is a bit low. If Logan Labs does not provide recommendations to correct any deficiencies perhaps your county horticulturist at the Purdue Cooperative Extension Office may. It is too bad that Purdue no longer does soil testing. I have heard that the University of Kentucky would soil test for people in Indiana. kimmq is kimmsr
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Need help interprating Logan Labs results
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I need help interpreting my result. I have 2 samples done. One in an area of my yard where grass if nice and thick (Sample: Grass will grow) and another part of my yard that will not grow any grass (Sample: Grass won't grow). I have sodded the area twice now with Centipede and it will only last 1 season. I am hoping the culprit is in the results. Any helps is greatly appreciated. Thanks! http://imgur.com/4pbKzBM
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Help me Interpret my Logan Labs Soil Sample Please
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OK. I argued with myself about how much adjusting to do, and the answer is decidedly "some but not a great deal." These soils are in very good shape. David's is the easier of the two. It's like Mary Poppins...practically perfect in every way. I'd absolutely avoid phosphorus in his beds, and use nothing with any magnesium in it. Both are excessive, but not a problem (although excess P can cause vegetables to be somewhat bitter and chewy). His yellowing and failing veggies last year were probably from raw compost, or poor hardening off. Compost is, actually, completely unnecessary this year. Your beds are a little more complicated. For the most part, what I said for David's goes for yours as well. Except in your case, absolutely avoid phosphorus sources. Your levels are sky high. Ditto with magnesium. OM levels are very high, but that's not a concern (my gardens are at similar levels from having mulch applied every year). So you can back off on the compost if you like, but if you don't, there's no problem with that (except that the soil will settle faster and further if you use the compost). With good pH and not exactly low calcium levels, I'm hesitant to do too much fiddling about. Only the U bed is even faintly out of range, and for vegetables, that isn't really out of range (most of them flourish in slightly more acidic environments than grasses do although there are plenty of exceptions). I'm going to advise 15 pounds of gypsum per thousand square feet now and again in October when this year's crop is removed--but if you ignore that recommendation, it's no big deal.
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User
8 years ago
This is a borderline Limestone Quarry Club soil so we'll treat it appropriately.

Exchange Capacity 20.6: Over-inflated by the excess calcium. I'm going to turn this down to about 10, or a mixed loamy soil.

pH 7.2: Absolutely no barrier to a stunning lawn. I do talk about the ions that set it off down below.

OM 2.4%: In the Fair range. It's fine in a loamy soil, but I wouldn't mind seeing this go up. Always mulch mow, mow all your fall leaves, and that sort of thing.

Sulfur 11: Normal!

Phosphorus 425: My goal in your soil would be about 220. More isn't a problem, but no additional P is required or desired.

Calcium 86.9%: Very high, which is why your pH is also very high. It's not a problem, excess calcium isn't toxic at any level. We just have to live with this, but again, that's not an issue.

Magnesium 6.0%: It looks low, but the high calcium is knocking some Mg out of the soil and inflating the ME numbers to make it look lower. This isn't an issue and we don't need to add any.

Potassium 2.4%: While it looks lower than I like, the same argument applies as for magnesium. None required.

Minor Elements: All in good range, including Boron (amazingly!) I do mention iron below.

Iron 110: It's fine, not deficient, and not a problem, but not going to produce great color at a pH of 7.2. Any time you like, you can feed with Milorganite (or Houstonite in your area) to slowly raise this and very slowly improve the color.
dclove975040 thanked User
dclove975040
Original Author
8 years ago
We have been fertilizing with Corn meal and dry molasses for the last 4 years... here is a photo of the grass we do have. It grows in the sunnier part of the yard and is just starting to come out this year. appreciate your input and recommendations.

Need help interpreting Logan Lab results

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