John's Soil Test Results - March 2016

[lookin400]

Thanks for assisting me with my new Bermuda lawn in the Raleigh NC area. This flat 5,000 sqft lawn was established in spring of 2015. The Bermuda sod was placed on freshly graded new construction surface (this is the material that was tested). The grass came in very well last year and has taken very well to the subsoil. During the winter we kept the Bermuda about 2.5-3.0" tall to help protect it during the winter months.

The lawn was recently scalped with a McLane reel to about 0.75". Would prefer to keep the lawn as short as possible for aesthetic reasons only. Will be mowed 2-3 times per week if needed. Willing to put in the necessary work to to have the best, baseball field like, surface to show off to neighbors. Nitrogen application recommendations would be helpful if possible.

Other general notes.
-There are some un-even/bumpy spots in the lawn. Would like recommendations on how/when to repair those uneven spots (possible top dressing this summer).
-With the type of soil present how much water is needed on a weekly basis? Heard 1" is average, but its my understanding that some soils have higher tolerances to retaining water than others (sand vs heavy clay).

Thanks for taking the time and providing feedback!

[lookin400]

UPDATE since SOIL TEST:

On Friday 3.25.16 I evenly applied 15 lbs of a 24-25-4 mix and lightly watered it into the whole yard (5,000 sqft). Then between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning we received about 1.5" of rain here locally at a steady pace.

[andy10917]

John, you need to call Logan Labs and have those test results reprinted. They are in lbs/1000 sq ft instead of lbs/acre, and the resulting rounding is not optimal. They'll reprint it, and then repost the results.

[lookin400]

Andy,
I inserted the updated report from the lab. Thanks for your time!

[ Post made via Android ]

[andy10917]

Sorry for the runaround, John - but I prefer to deal with the right numbers.

2016 LOOKIN400 Soil Test Interpretation

[lookin400]

Thanks Andy!!

Lime - Pennington was the choice here.
Fertilizer - Pennington NPK 13-13-13. Thoughts on lbs/k ?
Milor - I also went with Pennington instead. First Ironite applied yesterday 15lb bag over the whole 5k sqft lawn. The bag recommendations says maximum 5k sqft, but should I be applying more? The pennington is cheaper than the Milor, but is the savings worth the sacrifice in quality?

What are the best methods used when applying the 20 Mule, Manganese Sulfate and Copper Sulfate? Product recommendations for the two Sulfate items?

[andy10917]

13-13-13 would go down at 7-8 lbs/K.

I don't like Ironite -- I don't see the value in Iron sources that aren't great (like Iron Oxide) when you get fertilizer and Iron in Milorganite. But that's me. Some people also don't like the Arsenic angle on Ironite.

[TimmyG]

Milor - I also went with Pennington instead. First Ironite applied yesterday 15lb bag over the whole 5k sqft lawn. The bag recommendations says maximum 5k sqft, but should I be applying more? The pennington is cheaper than the Milor, but is the savings worth the sacrifice in quality?

It isn't just Andy. Forget the Ironite. You're not going to find a cheaper, more convenient source of useful/accessible iron than Milorganite.

What are the best methods used when applying the 20 Mule, Manganese Sulfate and Copper Sulfate?

Surprise! Milorganite. Andy gave you explicit instructions in your soil test interpretation. Read the instruction to read. Ironic, eh?

Product recommendations for the two Sulfate items?

Search the forums. Past threads are saved for a reason. Makes finding answers such as these super easy, with links and everthing!

[lookin400]

Switched gears and am going with the Milor. Thanks for the input. I applied the lime on 4.8.16. Also received these two products today in the mail. Plan to mix and apply with Milor on 4.10.16 per the rate in the soil test results.



Next weekend I plan to start the monthly application of 13-13-13 at 7lbs/k.

Looking around for cheaper organics to apply, but results have been limited thus far in the search.

[TimmyG]

All good!

[lookin400]

Follow up question on level. Would sand be a good material to use for leveling with this type of soil? It appears that the soil is rather sandy, but wanted to confirm!

Thanks gents!

[andy10917]

Sand isn't a problem for Bermuda. Large amounts of sand can make holding on to nutrients problematic. YMMV. Use your head.

[lookin400]

Thanks Andy. I appreciate it.

[ Post made via Android ]

[lookin400]

Heading into the North Carolina fall I wanted to solicit some input on the plan. Since the bermuda wont need the nitrogen like it does in the summer what type of fertilizer and application rate is recommended? How about milo applications?? Should I continue applying the milo and the micros together? Lastly, when should I redo a soil test to check for progress again (Annually? every other year? etc..)

Thanks!!

[andy10917]

Well, since there aren't any P and K fertilizers without Nitrogen, you could either apply Triple Superphosphate ("TSP") and Sulfate of Potash ("SOP"), or take a break. The NC winter isn't that long so I'd take a break, but keep applying the Lime on the schedule if the ground doesn't freeze in your area.

An annual test is a good idea when you're really pouring on the ingredients. It lets you see how things are going...

[lookin400]

Thanks Andy. How about milo and micros? Should I keep on schedule through the winter with those applications? I will put down my last bag of 13-13-13 this week and call it quits for the winter.
After my next lime test I will wait a couple weeks and pull some new plugs to submit for testing.

[andy10917]

We generally shut down soil test interpretations from around November 1 until late January. That's when we start working on ST6 and other BL/ATY winter projects. I'd hold off on soil tests until things start to grow in the Spring.