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.

Those results look very good. Are you having any issue with the lawn currently, I would imagine it is in good shape based on those optimal readings. Either way, the lawn will benefit from all of the above mentioned (except, not sure about sugar?)...Unless you have excessive weeds, always mulch mow and mow high 3" or more and never cut more than 1/3 of the grass height at a time. Make sure your lawn mower blade is sharp as well. Water deep 1" per week to encourage deep roots that can sustain drought. Coffee grinds are great and can be found in abundance at Starbucks upon request. However, I have read that it is better to mix them in a compost bin prior to putting on the lawn. I have had great results with Ringer Brand Organic fertilizer as well. It can be tough to find, I get it from True Value, with free shipping to my local store. Also, you might want to consider making some Compost Tea, which works faster than just putting compost directly on the ground...I have heard of people adding molasses to their mix, which helps feed the microbes...(maybe that's the sugar you referenced). Finally, make sure you over seed each fall to ensure you have thick grass that will block out weeds. Consider renting a core aerator each fall or spring, and look into using Corn Gluten Meal if you are having weed issues. Good Luck Shawn

I am grateful for the expert advice. I have the current Mich Res Codes book, but not the original IRC codes on which it is based. If I seem confused, it may very well be because of Mich amendments. It helps me a great deal, then, to know which sections of the IRC are being cited for comparison to the Mich codes. I must confess that without the generous help of Lazypup and others, I'd go nuts trying to understand the codes just by reading the book. More than once the advice has either made the code book easier for me to understand, or it steered me to a different section that was more relevant to my question. I've been able to correlate all other advice precisely to the Mich codes. But I still haven't found the requirement for the dedicated crock vent in the Mich codes. I suspect it's because I'm looking in the wrong place or missing some other subtlety. For example, is it because the sump crock drains independently into the 4-inch house drain that it should also have an independent vent? Is there a specific paragraph in the IRC that is completely absent from the Mich codes? I found a discussion on the issue at the link far below, but it doesn't build my confidence one way or the other. "Homebild", who says that he/she is an "ICC certified Residential Plumbing Inspector", asserts that the IRC allows non-pneumatic ejector pumps to be tied into existing vents. He/she cites the same sections of the IRC that I find in the Mich codes. Specifically: P3113.4.1 IRC 2003: "Drainage piping below sewer level shall be vented in a similar manner to that of a gravity system." [I don't have it with me, but the Mich book precedes this paragraph with something like 'For non-pneumatic sewage pumps and ejectors".] P3113.4.2 IRC 2003: "The air pressure relief pipe from a pneumatic sewage ejector shall be connected to an independent vent stack terminating as required for vent extensions through the roof". [The Mich book precedes this paragraph with something like "For pneumatic sewage pumps and ejectors".] By comparison, "Phil H" notes that amended New York State code explicitly inserts the word 'independently': P3113.4.1 Residential Code New York State: "Drainage piping below sewer level shall be vented independently in a similar manner to that of a gravity system." I'd still like to know where the dedicated vent requirement is found in the IRC, but you're right, bus_driver, I'll ultimately have to cut through the roof if the local inspector requires it whether or not I understand it. Here is a link that might be useful: IRC Ejector Pump Venting Discussion

My apologies. It was me, a very busy week, and 10 cubic yards of mulch on top of it. For folks who see this and have tests, I'll be catching up over the next day or two--if I miss you, send me mail. ME 15-ish: A nice soil, probably very silty, which is great. It holds lots of resources, but isn't hard to add to when we need to. pH 7.7: High, but there's not much you can do about it--and you don't need to. Grass won't object to this. OM 2.6%: Kind of low, but your ME is already quite high. I'd always mulch mow, but otherwise not do anything special to raise this. Sulfur 14: Normal. Phosphorus 99: A little low (lower than it looks due to the depth of sampling, actually). We use standard starter fertilizer (like 20-27-5 or 18-24-6) to fix this. Details below. Calcium 73.5%: Very high, but not a problem (which is good as you can't easily change this). None required or desired. Magnesium 21.1%: Very high, which might make your soil tight and hard to dig. We can't change it, so we live with it--but avoid all magnesium sources, which is generally pretty easy (no cheap lime or Epsom salt, in other words). Potassium: 1.0%: Not quite as bad as it looks, but I'd adjust this. We use potassium sulfate, which you can purchase at many garden or landscape stores, or they can order it for you. Minor Elements: Most are fine, but I did mention iron and boron below. Boron 0.29: Very low. 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 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Iron 170: Fine, but it won't produce great color at your pH. Whenever you want, apply Milorganite to slowly raise this. Recommendations: April 15: Apply 4 tablespoons (not a misprint!) of 20 Mule Team Borax per thousand square feet. May 1: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate. Memorial Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. June 15: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate. Labor Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 15: Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate.