PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
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PopMuzik42
Posts: 15
Joined: March 14th, 2015, 8:46 pm
Location: Earth
Grass Type: I don't know
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PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by PopMuzik42 » February 20th, 2017, 7:06 pm

Hello All,
This is my third year on the program. Overall, things seem to be moving along nicely with my 7000 sq ft of hybrid Bermuda in Fort Mill, SC. Many compliments from those in the neighborhood.

Would appreciate any recommendations (including micros) for this year.

Thank you.

Link to 2015 Test: http://aroundtheyard.com/forums2/viewto ... 88#p225088
Link to 2016 Test: https://aroundtheyard.com/forums2/viewt ... 45#p266245

2017 Test:
Image

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MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by MorpheusPA » February 25th, 2017, 6:17 pm

Guess I'll snag this one.

It's improved, but I'm still not happy with your Ca and Mg numbers...among others. Let's take a look.

ME 4.5: Very sandy, so we do have to mind how fast and how much we add to this soil. No biggie, and it's not a barrier to a nice lawn. It just might require watering more often than a siltier soil would.

pH 5.0: Quite low, which we handle under Ca and Mg (and K, to a lesser extent) below. pH is only a symptom.

OM 1.7%: I'd be pouring on the organic matter from any source I could find, as this isn't helping your ME. Mow in all your fall leaves. Steal your neighbors' leaves. Use organic fertilizers whenever you want. Have to poo? Do it on the lawn. And I'm almost not kidding about that last one. Almost.

Sulfur 43: High, so you might very well have a bit of gypsum in your soil. It's not a problem, but added calcium will bind to this, in part.

Phosphorus 34: Extremely low. My target for your soil would be around 200. We use starter fertilizer (get the cheapest as they're all much the same) to fix this. Recommendations below.

Calcium 24%: Very low; the target is closer to 70% in a sandier soil. We use a calcitic lime to fix this--Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime is best. Recommendations below; I'm pushing the amounts a little higher than I normally would on a sandy soil due to the higher available sulfur levels and borderline emergency pH.

Magnesium 11%: Not a problem, but I would like to push this along to raise your pH and also to account for the fact that rising calcium levels will tend to displace some of this from the soil cation spots. I'm giving you a choice here--either Epsom salt (from your drug store or grocery store) or the cheapest dolomitic limestone could be used. It's not an emergency, and a bit of extra calcium wouldn't hurt.

Potassium 9.8%: Fine! I don't object to a bit of extra K, I rather like it. No potassium required or desired.

Minor Elements: Boron is mentioned below, as is iron. I'll defer to Andy on Zn and Cu, but if it were me I'd tap those a bit. If Andy doesn't get back to you, let me know.

Boron <0.2: While not the most important element, I'll always work to move your lawn into the most optimal range on everything. Me? 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 12.5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax.

Iron 45: Kind of low for great color, but not an issue and not deficient. Whenever you like, you can apply Milorganite at the bag rate to move this very slowly upward. Plus it'll add a little bit of organic matter, which your soil can use.

Recommendations:

April 15: Apply 6 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-i-Cal or Pennington Fast Lime.

May 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

May 15: Apply 20 Mule Team Borax at 5 tablespoons per thousand square feet in Milorganite carrier.

June 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

June 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet of Epsom salt, **or** apply around 10 pounds per thousand of dolomitic limestone. Dealer's choice on that one.

July 1: Feed with any high nitrogen fertilizer.

August 1: Feed with any high nitrogen fertilizer.

September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

October 15: Apply 6 pounds per thousand square feet of Encap, Mag-i-Cal or Pennington Fast Lime.

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
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Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by andy10917 » February 25th, 2017, 9:58 pm

For the Copper, apply 3 tablespoons per 1000 sq ft in April and again 90 days later. For Zinc, 3 tablespoons per 1000 sq ft in April and every 90 days of the growing season. See the Micronutrient Application Guide.

g-man
Posts: 501
Joined: June 29th, 2016, 9:54 am
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Re: PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by g-man » February 25th, 2017, 11:02 pm

I'm just curious about the zinc. The previous two years it was high and increasing. Andy or Morpheus, any idea in what could make it drop in a year?

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by andy10917 » February 25th, 2017, 11:13 pm

Generally it's just sampling differences, but heavy applications of other nutrients that are antagonistic can displace it. Phosphorus, Calcium and Iron can be antogonistic - but I generally ignore a single year change as sh!t happens. Don't worry about it.


PopMuzik42
Posts: 15
Joined: March 14th, 2015, 8:46 pm
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Grass Type: I don't know
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Re: PopMuzik42 Soil Test - 2017

Post by PopMuzik42 » February 26th, 2017, 3:51 pm

Thanks, everyone!

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