The soil test, if it included a buffer test, should have told you how much lime you need. If it did not include a buffer test, call the lab and get one done and ask for a lime recommendation. I would not plant until your pH comes up to a more normal zone. You could be subjecting the seedlings to aluminum toxicity with such a low pH. If the lime is not worked into the soil, the most aglime that should be applied at one time is 50 lb/k.

Why would you wait until November to fertilize? Did the soil test say how much potassium you need? I am not familiar with your climate and growing season.

kimmq

When
was that soil test done? Nitrogen levels in soil can vary depending on
season and are very dependent on soil temperature, soil moisture, soil
type, and amount of organic matter in the soil. All of those influence
the activity of the soil bacterial and fungi that produce the Nitrogen
that plants can uptake.

How much organic matter is in the soil?

Ho well does the soil drain? How well does the soil retain moisture?

What does that soil smell like?

How much life do you see in the soil, earthworms, etc?

You want about 5 to 8 percent organic matter in soil for best
results. Those Daikon radishes are good for helping to break up
compacted soil, so if you have a compacted clay soil they probably will
help and they will grow because planting time is from mid August to late
September. They need about one month of fairly warm soil temperatures
to grow well, but of course the longer they have4 the better they will
do.

Perhaps these simple soil tests ma be of some use.

1) Soil test for organic
material. From that soil sample put
enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1-quart jar, with a
tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and
replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24
hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight.
For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the
bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above
that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1-foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with
water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time
how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil
drains’ too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down.
Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic
matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful
of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is
released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a
finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your
soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant
odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria
will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter
can be bad as well.

5) Life. How many
earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5,
according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that
is not healthy.

I think that previous post was cut and pasted from another forum. It may or may not pertain to the OP here.

My soil results were a pH of 4.3, high organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus. Low in magnesium, Ca, K, Sulfur and NA [other micronutrients not tested].

Soil tests don't test for nitrogen because it disappears so quickly from the soil. If it was high in N for the test, by the time you get the test results back, that element has changed.

pH of 4.3??? Vinegar has a pH of 3. If you put some of your soil into a jar with water and add baking soda, does the mixture fizz? Yet it is low in sulfur - a common acidifying agent in soil.

I guess I'm questioning the quality of this test.

You mentioned tilling stuff in. Have you already rototilled the soil? Generally I caution against rototilling to prep for a lawn, but if your soil really has a pH of 4.3, then you should get some calcium down in there.

I too would question the quality of the test. A pH of 4.3 is unheard of in this area........unless someone dumped a truckload of sulfur on the ground :-)) And since S is low, that seems very unlikely. May I ask who did the test for you?

As you are not planning a conventional lawn, I wouldn't personally be overly concerned about the soil test other than the very suspicious pH. Get that retested and confirmed or revised and we can talk how next to proceed.

Disease issues are less of a concern with grass type here than they are with initial seed bed prep and ongoing maintenance however, TTTF is NOT a great idea for areas with wet winters........which is all of the PNW. Would reconsider that choice in favor of some other sort of high traffic blend that includes perennial ryegrass. I assume because of the yarrow inclusion that you have a fair amount of sun?

Yes, the main thing I want to prevent is a dead brown lawn for June to mid Sept which is why I picked tttf and yarrow (confirmed that these do grow in my soil with 100 sq ft planted, although some grass tips turned brownish even with adequate water). Im tired of having no summer lawn. I feel like I need to plant since I have 1/4 of an acre of tilled up dirt (couldn't afford to replace lawn with other lawn removal techniques) that will turn to seeds and mud if I wait until Spring. So it sounds like I should repeat the soil test and just plant and fix it after confirming it and not till lime into my soil. King County Conservation district did the test which is a cheaper 20 dollar version that doesn't include buffering.

If you have tilled, you can add the whole amount of lime needed and till it in. A second tilling will be the best way to add the lime. The question is how much do you need? You need a soil test that includes a buffer test and gives a lime recommendation. Washington State U has a list of labs under "Soil Fertility" in the General Services category at this link. Call some and see how quickly they can do a soil test for you. Tilling is the best way to incorporate lime and correct pH as lime does not move much through the soil. Tilling will get it down in the root zone. The problem with tilling is that it creates a bumpy surface. But you've already tilled so that's water under the bridge. Might as well till some more and get that lime in.

"No summer lawn" in the Pacific Northwest is a very common and accepted situation. Cool season grasses want to go dormant in summer and the powers that be encourage us to allow them to do so, especially in our recurring summer drought location. Even here, water is a finite resource and expensive. The lawns are certainly not dead and will green up rapidly as soon as fall rains arrive.

While the TTTF is somewhat more drought tolerant than other common PNW turf types, it will still require routine summer irrigation to remain green/avoid dormancy and I just do not have good feelings about its ability to deal well with our wet - often very wet - winters. It IS possible to have a lush, green lawn here in summer using the usual turf grass blends and proper watering techniques, but you also need good soil prep to ensure an adequately moisture retentive soil. I'd be interested to know what care methods you used and how you handled the lawn before it was all dug up.....it is very possible all this disruption could have been avoided.

And I would not add ANY lime until I had confirmed an accurate pH level. I have never encountered a pH that low anywhere in this area....certainly not anywhere close to Seattle. In fact, it is unusual to find a pH much below 6.0 anywhere in the region!!

Ok. I am just going to recollect the soil and plant and address the pH issue after having planted after I get the second soil analysis back (hopefully will be higher!). I will research more with tttf and wet winters. The brand I am buying only has 15 percent winter dormancy. Even if it goes dormant, my hope is the yarrow will stay green. We just bought the house and the yard had multiple bald spots and was mostly weeds. I have since studied proper lawn care techniques to prevent this from happening!