Since you've already started with organics, then you can go with 15 to 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If your lawn hobby budget will allow, then monthly apps would really help boost the organic matter. Just getting roots in the ground will really help.

If I could get soybean meal for that price, I'd use all I could at 10 to 15 pounds per 1,000 per month.

I'll do that. I couldn't find a closer source but at that price it'll be worth it. I've read on here that SBM is one of the best organic fertilizers. I'll wait to see what Morph and others recommend before going on a buying spree lol

Even I'd recommend organic fertilizers in your situation. You can always mix with synthetic - the organic will take care of raising OM and the synthetic will give you the immediate results.

I like that idea, too. Mixing the two will get your grass growing and encourage root growth. Here's what happens with grass. Every year about 1/3 of the roots "slough off." That means they die and new roots replace them. Those roots become organic matter in the soil. So, too, do the microbes which decompose those roots. The more roots you can get the more OM you'll get. The mix of organic and chemical will hasten all that. I would only do that now, though. Wait for morph for advice on what kind of fert to use. Using chemical fertilizer in the summer can be a problem for grass that is already stressed from the heat.

I like that idea j4c11. It'll be over 100 degrees here for the next week or so.

Not to get off track from original post but I was planning on knocking down weeds with weed b gon maxx soon. Should I wait on that or just leave them be for this year?

Ooooo, didn't realize you're that hot already. You might go with half the bag rate on the synth.

Spot spray the weeds with minimal overspray. But if you leave them, rest comfortably that they are putting roots in the ground, too.

Morph will see this eventually ;-)

The only weeds I'm worried about are clover and crabgrass. Some of the Crabgrass seedlings are dying from the heat and infrequent watering :) but some have matured. I plan on overseeding the thin/bare spots this fall where most of the weeds are surviving.

I'll wait patiently for morph and others to chime in on correcting the soil.

This is my first home so I'm learning a lot on lawn care. I appreciate the advice.

What kind of grass are you growing?

I believe it is turf type tall fescue that they sod on tract homes. Grows in clumps in the thin areas.

Thank you yardtractor for taking the time to write such a detailed comment.

Yeah the soil is really hard when dry and doesn't drain well. I have to irrigate in cycles to reduce runoff. I've never used starter fert but who knows what the previous owner did. Bought the place a year ago. I'll take notes down from all the comments.

Our weather lately brought up a question when it comes to watering. I watered in an inch on Sunday but our water restrictions only allow for watering twice a week Wednesday and Sunday. Should I water today since it'll be over 100 degrees until next Tuesday?

To be honest, I've never had to deal with 5 days over 100F. I'd water, But I'm not paying the bill. Keep an eye on the turf this Summer so you can get a feel for how long the grass can go after a watering in differing temp conditions. That way you can water accordingly and save money when possible. Until I saw the graphic, I was going to suggest you let it go and see how stressed it gets and how rapidly it recovered after being watered. But 100+ is outa my comfort zone for advice.

I'm tempted to not water just to see how it does. This is just the beginning of our 100+ degree season. I've let it get stressed before and it seemed to recover by the day after watering. Thanks for your honesty.

I generally water when I see signs of drought stress. However, in temperatures over 100, if you add drought stress on top of heat stress, the lawn can go brown overnight. To make things worse, roots are not able to take in water as efficiently in the heat. My advice would be to water 0.75" every 3 days during this period of heat.

If water has a hard time penetrating the soil spray clear baby shampoo at 3oz/1000 sq ft. It will act as a surfactant and allow the water to soak in instead of running off.

Maybe I should have watered haha. We'll see how it fairs. I did spray shampoo twice this year 2 weeks apart so hopefully that help. When I dug for soil samples it was two days after watering and it was moist through the 6 inch depth. Not sure how far down the roots went though.

Keep us posted, we're going to hit similar temps at some point in NC. I'm learning also that the best protection against drought stress is a thick lawn, it shades the ground underneath and retains water much much better than a sparse lawn.

I sure will. I'll post some pics of the results.

The front lawn is has areas that look stressed this morning and it feels kinda "crunchy". It does slop down to the sidewalk so runoff probably reduced how much water was retained. The rear lawn looked fine this morning.

So if the last time you watered was Sunday and it looked ok enough on Wednesday that you decided to skip the watering, and today it's crunchy, then the optimal watering interval for the front would be every 3-4 days in those kind of temperatures. Sounds about right.

If it's starting to feel crunchy it's on its way to dormancy. Since you can't water until Sunday I don't think there's anything you can do to stop it. If it does go dormant, it will still need some water every now and then otherwise it will die completely.

Keep a close eye on weeds during dormancy, without competition they can completely wipe out your dormant lawn.

You are correct. The front will need to be watered every 3-4 says. I'm sure that will change over time once the soil structure is improved/corrected.

I hope I haven't left you with unrealistic expectations. Improving OM, particularly increasing stable organic matter (SOM-humus), which has the greatest impact on soil structure, is a slow, very slow, process when employing surface applications of organic material (-and incorporation of SOM using aeration isn't much faster), but there aren't many acceptable alternatives.

My experience with gypsum is that it does appear to aid in water penetration in tight silty soils. It's not a panacea but there is improvement without the concerns that may/may not arise from the use of a surfactant.

The mechanism by which OM applied at the surface penetrates deeper into the soil towards the root zone still very unclear to me. Maybe someone can explain the process.

No you haven't left me with unrealistic expectations. I've read that it is a very slow process. I don't plan on moving any time soon so I have time.

I'll probably do some shopping this weekend for supplies. Found a local irrigation store that has 50lb bags of Gypsum for $17 and a short drive for soybean meal.

j4: Maybe someone can explain the process.

For one, worms grab onto bits of mulched leaves in the fall and bring them down below surface where they consume them and create castings below surface.

Regarding OM%, I was able to increase the % in my back yard by 2 to 3% in one season, so it can be done.

Regarding OM%, I was able to increase the % in my back yard by 2 to 3% in one season, so it can be done.

How did you manage that?

One thing I have noticed this year that is different from last is bird activity. We're seeing a lot more birds and different varieties of birds too. The lawn looks healthier than it was last year and we planted a 4 trees but they're only 10'-12' tall. Those might be reasons why. Either way it is nice to see more "wildlife" lol

Yes, animal (worms. beetles, ants, arthropods, etc.) life will do much of the work. This can occur below or at the soil surface. Some animals return waste to the surface during house cleaning. Some leave OM and organic material below. (Some worms-the big reddish ones with vertical burrows- return to the surface to deposit their castings) Micro-organisms and fungi contribute by processing OM to more finished stages.

Whether on or below the surface, water percolation carries the OM down through the soil. Over time, years, the material is processed to the point of becoming SOM-humus. It can take decades, even centuries for humus to further decay. Humus/ humic acids are/were consider the major source for micro aggregation, until the relatively recent discovery of glomalin. We should keep in mind that apparently any vegetative mater (not just SOM) will contribute to moisture retention and to macro aggregation.

The end result is improved soil tilth, water storage, water and air infiltration and increased nutrient reserves. However, like the chicken or the egg, this process is directly proportionate to, and dependent on, a soil's ability to exchange gasses/air and the presence of moisture-i.e. a soil's state of aerification. For instance, most worms (the gray ones that move horizontally through the soil eating material and leaving castings as they go) move by inserting their bodies into an existing crack or crevice and enlarge it by expanding their bodies. The same is true with most roots, they follow the path of least resistance--cracks and spaces. This is one of the reasons why I often suggest mechanical aerification. It aids in creating conditions conducive to the processing and distribution of OM though tight, heavier soils to create a better floculated soil.

Regarding OM%, I was able to increase the % in my back yard by 2 to 3% in one season, so it can be done.

Was this increase greatest in organic material, or organic animal life/microbes and fungi or in SOM? At what depth? 0 to 1", 2 to 3" 4 to 6" etc.? In what type/texture of soil? What increase was there in CEC? Did you get a test on soil density? What was the change? Thanks.

Edited: The time periods for decay of organic material into humus and the period for humus to decay; there are no finite determinations, but this reflects the most common estimates devoid the "half-life" qualifications.

j4 and yard - here are some comments on raising my OM. Also, yard, what does SOM stand for? Is that humus? Did you see that study recently that posed the thought that humus doesn't actually exist, and is an outcome of the extraction process? I don't remember who posted that study but it was interesting, right or wrong.

Here is a link to my first two soil tests, taken 1 year apart in 2014 and 2015.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3282068/logan-labs-results-season-2?n=5

The front lawn was KBG sod laid down in October 2013. At the same time the back was seeded with a tri mix (no sod). The back yard had lower %OM probably because we had rebuilt the house, enlarging the basement, and that dirt was spread out over part of the back yard. So the following July I got the first Logan test as a baseline. I had not yet done much of anything to the lawn that winter or spring.

Over 2014 I followed morpheus' suggestions re organic ferts, corn meal, alfalfa, etc. I loaded the lawn in the fall with probably 150 bags of leaves over my 9000 sf of lawn. The following August (2015) the back yard went up from 3.8% to 5.2 % (1.4%, or a 36% increase. The front yard (sodded) went from 6.1% t o7.5% (1.4% again, interestingly), or 23% increase. It appears I overstated the % increase I got in one year. I was going from memory and was probably remembering being in the 4 or 5% range up to the 7% range. Still not a bad increase for the first year with brand new grass, 23% to 36% increase.

Last year, after the second round of soil tests, I added 50 lb/1000 sf of pelletized sawdust. It was so cheap and morpheus said it would be excellent for soil structure (over time) that I couldn't resist. I added another 150 or so bags of leaves last fall. I'm going to get my third sample in July to see where OM is. However, I am going to take one sample for the front and back and mix them, so I'll have to take that into consideration when comparing, of course. Morpheus also advised that it will continue to rise for a good two years if I did nothing more as it takes more than one season for all this stuff to turn into OM on the Logan test.

CEC is 10, silty sand, samples were taken to the 4" level the same way each year, and anything else you want to see is in the link above.

Thanks daniel.

It appears I overstated the % increase I got in one year.

Not a problem. Ask D. Trump. LOL

1.4% is still impressive. It would be interesting and useful to know at what depth. Is it 15% in the top 1/2" and no increase at 1" and deeper?

When you sample, do you take a profile from the surface down to four inches. The reason I ask is that although I have not taken a sample of my lawn in a few years, when I did, I took it from a profile from 1" down to 4".

what does SOM stand for? Is that humus?

Yes. some authors use it to mean Stable Organic Matter (which I find useful when referring to humus), some use it to mean Soil Organic Matter. That seems redundant to me as most also use the term OM for organic matter (why do we need to say soil organic matter when the topic is soil related?). It can get even more confusing when they differentiate organic material (raw plant material) which is neither.

Did you see that study recently that posed the thought that humus
doesn't actually exist, and is an outcome of the extraction process?

I'd be interested in reading that if you locate it again. Soil scientists are pretty adamant that only SOM and clay possess cation sites.

As OM is a measurement of the all soil organics: animal life, microbes, fungi, plant material and SOM, I'm not sure how OM would increase over time without adding more organic material as OM decays and is stripped of its nutrients, it leaves just the SOM carbon chains. Unless the increase in microbes are responsible for the increase in OM and wouldn't that be rather short lived?

It's my understanding that OM is measured as the difference in weight between the sample before and after being subjected to the heat of a kiln. Hmmmm, I wonder if the SOM (carbon) is considered? TMI--headache.

yard: When you sample, do you take a profile from the surface down to four inches.

Logan didn't say anything about removing the top inch or so. I take a core sample down to 4" and then when I have enough cores to make a full sample, I dump everything onto a piece of cardboard and pull out roots, sticks, rocks and so on. Basically I just followed Logan's instructions.

I recall noticing a marked darkening of the soil in the back yard when looking at the core samples. I don't know if Logan considers dropped corn meal to be OM or not. Morpheus said if I sampled in July and hadn't dropped anything on the lawn in the prior month, that would be a good time to get a fair sample. If I see anything interesting this summer I'll take some pics of the core samples.

If you google "humus does not exist" you get some results like this:

http://www.gardenmyths.com/humus-does-not-exist-says-new-study/

Although Nature is highly touted in this article, they've also been known to publish bogus science (but that's another story for a different forum!) I don't know enough about the humus issue to have an opinion one way or the other.

Thanks for the link. I'm going to need to read up on that. It may very well change some of the approaches we take to improving tilth. A cursory reading of just that blog would indicated that adding OM will initially destroy soil aggregates and soil structure. Need to do more reading, but I'm a bit skeptical as most hits relate to global warming and it's evident much of the new research in that area is driven by desire for funding and handouts - More self interest than science.

as most hits relate to global warming

Don't get me started...

I enjoy reading all the comments and linked material. Thank you all!

Any researcher who would claim humus does not exist is probably still in college or grad School, has never actually grown a plant outside of a lab & is funded by, or aiming to be funded by the Scott's company or BASF or Bayer crop science or some other giant outfit that stands to lose billions if commercial farmers or golf courses slow down their chemical methods. They've sure never used it, because the positive effects are quite obvious. Of course, you'll never find humus on the periodic table, it's just a bunch of crazy unstable organic acids waiting to react & create a useable compound. Just ask the Dakota peat company if humid & fulvic acids work on grass, they've been competing with the big chemical companies for golf course dollars for years.

I never did the full read on this (let me know if you want that, but you were very well-covered above). Really, most things are fine. Sure, magnesium is high, and that's going to set off some soil issues, but it's not ridiculous and certainly not going to hurt the plants. They'll grow in ground dolomite if they have to.

About the only thing I'd tap chemically would be boron, and that only for good measure (boron is used in meristem development, enzyme production of some enzymes, and photosynthesis). But grasses aren't particularly sensitive to boron levels and you're at the lowest part of tolerable for a grass plant.

I'd certainly try to raise that OM, of course, but as mentioned, that does take some time. Yes, the best of us who throw mass around constantly can get 1.5% per year or even better; my best year was much higher, but I threw around 1,300 pounds per thousand square feet and had the advantage of some previous years' material working down at the same time. I don't recommend that much work unless you're really into doing that.

Copper is sky high and manganese is even higher, but neither will be a major challenge to you at that pH (my Mn levels are even higher at a normal pH). No biggie.

morpheuspa: If it isn't too much of a bother I would like one of your full reads to add to my notes. I appreciate all who have contributed above.

My rear lawn is finally showing signs of stress which considering a week of over 100 degrees isn't too bad. I'll water tomorrow morning and see how it recovers. It appears that for the back lawn 1" of irrigation a week is enough even at the high ambient temp with no shade.

Francisco,

I would encourage you to request a full read from morpheuspa. You should find his insights very helpful.

N.M. :)

Sure thing, Francisco!

Sample Depth 6: We usually use 4, so I'll adjust the numbers as necessary when I make recommendations. It's no big deal.

Exchange Capacity 6.9: Sandy, probably a fine sand or it may contain some silt. It'll drift a little faster than normal and probably require a more frequent/smaller amount watering cycle, but it's not a problem to raise a great lawn in this. I'd retest every other year once balanced, which yours pretty much already is.

pH 7.8: Always the symptom, never the disease, as I always say. Your calcium, magnesium and (to a lesser extent) potassium levels are pushing this up. It's no barrier to a gorgeous lawn, but some considerations do come into play--most notably iron, mentioned below.

OM 0.95%: Exceptionally low, deep in the Poor range. Always mulch mow, mow all your fall leaves, steal your neighbors' leaves, toss your morning coffee grounds on the lawn, and so on. The source doesn't matter, we want to raise this as high as possible (in a sandier soil, not that high, but I'll take what I can get). Your climate is also working against you, so this is not something that will happen fast.

Sulfur 14: A normal answer, probably bound into gypsum in your soil. That's fine.

Phosphorus 422: High, but not ridiculous and certainly not a problem. Avoid high-phosphorus fertilizers and certainly never use a starter fertilizer. You have enough P banked in the soil for at least a decade.

Calcium 70.4%: On paper, a touch high, but in a lower EC soil, I like that. I'm going to call this optimal. You don't need any.

Magnesium 19.4%: Very high, but not quite as high as it looks given the lower EC of the soil. While it might make your soil tighter and harder to dig, you have a lot of calcium to offset this and it doesn't concern me much. Certainly avoid magnesium sources, but this isn't a problem.

Potassium 3.1%: The soil shows a minor shortage, but it's not worth doing anything about at this time. Your grass isn't going to have a problem with this.

Sodium 3.5%: Very high. In your lower EC soil it's probably not causing too much trouble. Probably. But salt-sensitive plants (grass isn't one of them) would have a problem with this. When irrigating, always make sure to apply enough to wet to well below the root systems. That tends to drive sodium down under the roots where it can't cause problems.

Minor Elements: I mention Boron and Iron below. Copper, manganese, and zinc are all very high, but not going to be a problem at that pH (Zn and Mn aren't usually much of a problem under most circumstances, actually).

Iron 114: This is fine, but with a pH that high it's not going to produce the best color. You can certainly apply Milorganite whenever you want to slowly raise this, but your pH is high enough that I expect that to be of limited impact. I still think it's worth a shot.

Boron 0.38: Marginally low. Grasses aren't particularly demanding, but given the pH you're working with, and the fact that it impacts photosynthetic efficiency and meristem development, I'd fix this. 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:

June 15 or so: Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in a Milorganite carrier.

Thank you morpheuspa! Added to my notes.

So by more frequent watering schedule do suggest as stated above .75" 2x week?

I plan on overseeding this fall so avoid starter fertilizer and use what instead?

You won't need starter when you overseed, and the new grass won't need a thing for at least 30 days after sprout (seed contains the first month of every required resource). At the 1 month point, feed gently with a nitrogen-bearing fertilizer, or feed with an organic grain-based fertilizer when you plant (it'll become available at week 3 to 4).

Watering...I'd play it by ear, but given your sodium levels, I'd still go with the full inch until those go down. We really don't want to make that any worse, which shallow irrigation will do.

Works for me! Thank you.

Considering the amount of OM you should be applying, the seed should want for nothing.

Thank you to all who contributed to my thread. I have a solid plan to follow now, along with a better understanding of soil structure.

If any of you need help with a Ford vehicle let me know, I can help with that lol

One more question. Does it matter if it's powdered or pelletized Gypsum?

I have used the crushed/powdered just because I can get it very cheaply from my source, but I'd recommend the pelletized. Pelletized is much easier to spread and less of a mess to apply. In fact, this Fall I'm going to use pelletized.

This is what I'll probably be getting. One bag should last a couple apps. https://www.ewingirrigation.com/best-soilbuster-peltz-gypsum

Per label, that should be fine. Apply just before next watering so it gets watered in. Keep giving the lawn as much OM as it can eat. :) Don't forget the boron. All of this watering will be leaching that too.

Will do! Thank you.