Post
by MorpheusPA » December 1st, 2016, 6:25 pm
You bellowed, my Prince?
I'm going to work under the assumption that the sampling was done well and includes both the old and new soil. If the mix wasn't pretty good, the numbers next year could be interesting. To say the least!
ME 3.5: Sandy. Very sandy. This soil will drift fast, so keep an eye on it, and it doesn't store much in terms of resources at the best of times.
pH 6.0: A bit low, but nothing extreme. We'll work on this under Ca and Mg below (K is already quite good).
OM 4.4%: Good, but with an ME that low, I'd always mulch mow, mow all fall leaves, import leaves, steal leaves, and feed organically. Even tossing coffee grounds on the soil in the morning wouldn't be a bad idea, I'll take anything I can get. OM will help with water and resource retention.
Sulfur 14: A perfectly normal answer.
Phosphorus 397: None required or desired, and I wouldn't use fertilizers with appreciable P in them (something like 27-2-5 or the like would be fine, but never higher than 1/5 as much P as N). It's not a problem, but let's not let it go sky high.
Calcium 55%: A little low, but not severe. We use Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime to correct this. And again, I'm actually OK with slower (larger sieve size) calcium sources as the problem with this lawn is not exactly severe. Just make sure magnesium levels are very low to zero. My recommendations this year are intentionally a little gentle just in case the upper layer has more Ca in it. Recommendations below.
Magnesium 13%: Fine, although there's a shortage showing in the soil. For right now, I'm going to recommend a very minor application of Epsom salt late next year, but if you want to skip it and wait for the next test instead that won't be a problem.
Potassium 8.7%: Not as high as it looks due to the lower Ca levels. This is great, and no adjustments need to be made. As always, I'm a fan of slightly high K levels, and this fits the bill perfectly to enhance cold and heat resistance, plus disease resistance.
Minor Elements: Normally, I'd refer you to Andy for the Cu and Zn levels here. They're OK, but might could use a bit of a tap. I tend to ignore them when they're in the OK range as copper, at least, can be a bit touchy. Boron is quite low. I do mention iron.
Boron 0.23: Very low. 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 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax.
Iron 165: Fine, but it won't produce the best color on most lawns. Whenever your neighbor wants, (s)he can apply Milorganite at the bag rate to slowly raise this.
Recommendations:
April 1 (if it's warm enough and the ground has unfrozen; if not, adjust accordingly): Apply 3 pounds of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime per thousand square feet.
May 1: Apply 4 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier.
September 1: Apply 1 pound of Epsom salt per thousand square feet.
October 1: Apply 3 pounds of Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime per thousand square feet.
