Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

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Casutherland
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Location: Cane Ridge, TN
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Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » February 20th, 2017, 12:00 pm

Hey guys, been meaning to do this now for a while, and looking forward to the analysis from my Logan Labs Soil Test results. Thanks for all you guys do! You are awesome!

Age of Lawn: 1 1/2 years old
Type of Grass: Fescue Sod / TTTF Seed
Size of Lawn: 2500 sq ft. Front is about 600, sides are about 500 each, back is about 900 sq ft.
Condition of Soil: No top soil was put down prior to laying sod. When the house was built, the builders stripped and sold all the top soil. The soil was not very ideal for putting sod down, but after a year of having it treated, I believe it is doing better. There are some areas of fungus in the yard.
Cutting of lawn: I use a Toro Timemaster set at about 4.25 inches, and mow once per week.
Fertilization: Had Second Nature treat my lawn last year. They were putting down a mix of Fertilizer/Fungicide.
Irrigation: Normally water 2-3 times per week at around 1 hour front, back and sides. Working on making a set up to water without moving the hoses.


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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » February 21st, 2017, 11:40 am

Well, CAS - I'm going to jump in here and help you out as your season is getting going and I've been posting to help you out elsewhere.

You actually have a nice soil. It's not perfect, but none are. If I were starting to really embrace this crazy hobby I'd love to start from where you are! No wonder the builders wanted to sell your topsoil. :razz:

This test will save you a lot of money.

Anyways - on to business.

The TEC of 9.71 shows a nice loam. Not heavy or sandy - in a good spot.

Your Organic Matter (OM) level @3.54% is almost to the good area. This is an area of work for you, but it's not an emergency. Apply as much organic matter as you want, in any reasonble amount. No leaves leave the yard. (Like that pun?) Top dress with compost a few times a year. This will take a long time and copious amounts of material to improve, so don't think a few bags of peat moss will fix it :)

Good for you - this is the "worst" part of your soil, and it's not even bad. :good:

You have a nice balance in your major cations of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Potassium (K). That nice balance translates into an enviable pH (6.6) for cool season turf that your fescue should love. Nothing to work on here!

Phosphorus (>600!) is at luxury levels - nothing to do there either.

Iron is likewise quite good, and available at your pH. So, no need to add anything for iron levels.

What does that leave? Well, andy can run his analysis on your micronutrients if you so desire. It may be a bit as he's working on a new format for his report.

The other thing it leaves for you is a Nitrogen plan. Most Nitrogen (N) should be applied in the fall for cool season turf. This is especially true if you're fighting fungus, as heavy N in the spring often encourages fungus - which you are fighting.

A good, inexpensive route for Nitrogen is urea (46-0-0) - which can be found at farm co-ops or specialty garden centers. Since you have irrigation, just water it in afterwards.

So, an example Nitrogen plan for you (using urea) could be:

May - 2 lbs / K urea
Sept through Oct - 1 lb / K urea every other week. (6 lbs total)

That's about 4 lbs / K N for the whole season.

Water the urea in after application.

Winterizing in the transition zone is not like what we do further north, so I'm not necessarily recommending it or not - it's really going to depend on your climate and conditions. Many in the transition zone treat winter more of as what we call "the pause".

The other thing to do to help your soil (and prevent fungus) is do deep and infrequent watering. 1 inch a week all at once when mother nature doesn't supply it. Your soil will do fine at absorption and retention, so train those roots to dig deep and keep the foliage drier so you don't encourage fungus.

Best of luck to you!

Casutherland
Posts: 364
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Location: Cane Ridge, TN
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » February 21st, 2017, 12:09 pm

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
February 21st, 2017, 11:40 am
Well, CAS - I'm going to jump in here and help you out as your season is getting going and I've been posting to help you out elsewhere.

You actually have a nice soil. It's not perfect, but none are. If I were starting to really embrace this crazy hobby I'd love to start from where you are! No wonder the builders wanted to sell your topsoil. :razz:

This test will save you a lot of money.

Anyways - on to business.

The TEC of 9.71 shows a nice loam. Not heavy or sandy - in a good spot.

Your Organic Matter (OM) level @3.54% is almost to the good area. This is an area of work for you, but it's not an emergency. Apply as much organic matter as you want, in any reasonble amount. No leaves leave the yard. (Like that pun?) Top dress with compost a few times a year. This will take a long time and copious amounts of material to improve, so don't think a few bags of peat moss will fix it :)

Good for you - this is the "worst" part of your soil, and it's not even bad. :good:

You have a nice balance in your major cations of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Potassium (K). That nice balance translates into an enviable pH (6.6) for cool season turf that your fescue should love. Nothing to work on here!

Phosphorus (>600!) is at luxury levels - nothing to do there either.

Iron is likewise quite good, and available at your pH. So, no need to add anything for iron levels.

What does that leave? Well, andy can run his analysis on your micronutrients if you so desire. It may be a bit as he's working on a new format for his report.

The other thing it leaves for you is a Nitrogen plan. Most Nitrogen (N) should be applied in the fall for cool season turf. This is especially true if you're fighting fungus, as heavy N in the spring often encourages fungus - which you are fighting.

A good, inexpensive route for Nitrogen is urea (46-0-0) - which can be found at farm co-ops or specialty garden centers. Since you have irrigation, just water it in afterwards.

So, an example Nitrogen plan for you (using urea) could be:

May - 2 lbs / K urea
Sept through Oct - 1 lb / K urea every other week. (6 lbs total)

That's about 4 lbs / K N for the whole season.

Water the urea in after application.

Winterizing in the transition zone is not like what we do further north, so I'm not necessarily recommending it or not - it's really going to depend on your climate and conditions. Many in the transition zone treat winter more of as what we call "the pause".

The other thing to do to help your soil (and prevent fungus) is do deep and infrequent watering. 1 inch a week all at once when mother nature doesn't supply it. Your soil will do fine at absorption and retention, so train those roots to dig deep and keep the foliage drier so you don't encourage fungus.

Best of luck to you!
You rock brother! Thank you so much for the analysis!

So you are saying that I should wait until May to start my nitrogen treatment? This past fall I purchased 2 bags of 46-0-0 "plant food" from Co-op. I put out a batch about mid December in hopes that it would help prevent disease and green up the lawn in the spring. I will admit that most of the lawn is green, but like all I have my "problem" areas and its driving me crazy!! Over half of my backyard is dealing with this fungus right now, and I am doing everything in my power to fight it. Just put out a bag of Bayer Advanced Lawn Fungus Control yesterday in hopes that it will help. Going to put out some pre-emergent later this week or next week as well.

Anyway, thanks again Lawn Gnome! Your help and insight, is much appreciated! Already excited for this year and hoping for a good stand of grass. I dread the 90 degree summer weeks with no rain. My water bill sky rockets, and it is a nightmare to keep the grass healthy without an irrigation system.

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » February 21st, 2017, 5:50 pm

To keep this focused on soil, yes - fescue wants most of its Nitrogen in the fall. If you gave it a good dose of N in the fall (December) before it went semi-dormant, that likely made it's way to root storage and your grass will use that.

The 46-0-0 sounds an awful lot like urea, which incidentally is also cattle food. See if it is coated urea or not. Best to get uncoated 46-0-0 - most of the time it is. You'll need to water that 46-0-0 in afterwards because those little Nitrogen pellets will get stuck to foliage and burn it otherwise.

If you find yourself dealing with a particular fungus that can be culturally treated by adding more Nitrogen, you might want to consider applying N sooner - but be careful.

warm + wet + new grass + lots of N = fungus heaven

Were I you, I'd focus on what can be done to win the fungus battle - your soil is in good shape - just feed it the Nitrogen it needs when it needs it most (fall), avoiding timing when it can encourage fungus.

Casutherland
Posts: 364
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Location: Cane Ridge, TN
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Lawn Size: 1000-3000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » February 21st, 2017, 6:03 pm

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
February 21st, 2017, 5:50 pm
To keep this focused on soil, yes - fescue wants most of its Nitrogen in the fall. If you gave it a good dose of N in the fall (December) before it went semi-dormant, that likely made it's way to root storage and your grass will use that.

The 46-0-0 sounds an awful lot like urea, which incidentally is also cattle food. See if it is coated urea or not. Best to get uncoated 46-0-0 - most of the time it is. You'll need to water that 46-0-0 in afterwards because those little Nitrogen pellets will get stuck to foliage and burn it otherwise.

If you find yourself dealing with a particular fungus that can be culturally treated by adding more Nitrogen, you might want to consider applying N sooner - but be careful.

warm + wet + new grass + lots of N = fungus heaven

Were I you, I'd focus on what can be done to win the fungus battle - your soil is in good shape - just feed it the Nitrogen it needs when it needs it most (fall), avoiding timing when it can encourage fungus.
I may go ahead and start with some Milorganite this week, and then put out a batch of the Urea around late May. Right now my soil temp is sitting at 58 degrees Fahrenheit and the soil is nice and soft from the rain we have been getting lately. Do you think I should put out Milorganite now, or go ahead with the 46-0-0 Urea?


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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » February 23rd, 2017, 10:58 am

From a soil fertilizer perspective, you don't need milorganite.

So, the question to ask yourself is - WHY are you applying it?

Will the extra Nitrogen HELP you, given your fight with fungus? What fungus do you have? What are the cultural treatments for that fungus? Does N help or hinder you in that fight?

For a dark green, you can also apply FAS or FS (spray iron) - read the application guide in articles.

For more OM - a better option is a nice application of compost / peat moss etc

You applied Nitrogen in late December, right? Let's count that as a winterizer - which means, the N from that application likely got stored in the roots, and your turf will use that N for the next month or so.

It may well be the case that less is more for you right now.

Casutherland
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » February 23rd, 2017, 11:03 am

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
February 23rd, 2017, 10:58 am
From a soil fertilizer perspective, you don't need milorganite.

So, the question to ask yourself is - WHY are you applying it?

Will the extra Nitrogen HELP you, given your fight with fungus? What fungus do you have? What are the cultural treatments for that fungus? Does N help or hinder you in that fight?

For a dark green, you can also apply FAS or FS (spray iron) - read the application guide in articles.

For more OM - a better option is a nice application of compost / peat moss etc

You applied Nitrogen in late December, right? Let's count that as a winterizer - which means, the N from that application likely got stored in the roots, and your turf will use that N for the next month or so.

It may well be the case that less is more for you right now.
Thanks for the continued advice! I think I may try to put out some compost in the next couple of weeks to see if that helps. I have been super busy, but am taking a half day today at work to go to the dentist, so I will get some pictures of my issues today to help better understand.

I think you are right though, I am going to lay low for a few weeks to see if things clear up and go from there. I will look into the FAS/FS Spray iron to help with the deep green.

Also, I had considered starting to do the Kelp Help Soil Conditioner on the lawn. Do you think that is pointless for me right now? Or will it not hurt to do that?

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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » February 23rd, 2017, 12:00 pm

Man, you are itching to do stuff lol

Your soil has an OK level of OM, and the Kelp Help will help feed the organisms that process it and turn it into stuff your plants like to eat. The BLSC will help it penetrate the soil a little better.

It's not going to help kill your fungus necessarily.

Casutherland
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » February 23rd, 2017, 12:13 pm

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
February 23rd, 2017, 12:00 pm
Man, you are itching to do stuff lol

Your soil has an OK level of OM, and the Kelp Help will help feed the organisms that process it and turn it into stuff your plants like to eat. The BLSC will help it penetrate the soil a little better.

It's not going to help kill your fungus necessarily.
Im telling you man lol, its like i have a fungus and the only way to get rid of it is to get out in the yard and work! Haha.

I just want my yard to be one of the best of the block and I am willing to do what I need to, to get it there, while also being somewhat budget friendly.

I am also trying to better educate myself. I do some landscaping on the side and have about 16 yards that I regularly manage on the weekends away from my day job in the office. So the more that I learn and know from my own yard, I can transfer to treat my client's yards as well. And to sell them on products and services that I haven't in the past.

Casutherland
Posts: 364
Joined: July 4th, 2016, 8:33 pm
Location: Cane Ridge, TN
Grass Type: TTTF
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Level: Some Experience

Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » March 6th, 2017, 5:58 pm

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:
February 23rd, 2017, 12:00 pm
Man, you are itching to do stuff lol

Your soil has an OK level of OM, and the Kelp Help will help feed the organisms that process it and turn it into stuff your plants like to eat. The BLSC will help it penetrate the soil a little better.

It's not going to help kill your fungus necessarily.
So after closer look at the grass blades, I do not think that it is a fungus that I have on the grass. I believe that the blades are just turning yellow. It seems somewhat evenly spread in certain areas. Does that mean that these areas maybe did not get enough nitrogen, or too much?

I am just trying to diagnose the issue so that I can solve it. Most of my neighbors think I am crazy for caring this much, but its in my DNA to be OCD about the yard lol. I spread a little cheap compost out in the back yard in the "problem areas." I thought it may have been just because the yard hadn't fully woken up, but I am beginning to think it may be something else.

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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by andy10917 » March 6th, 2017, 9:21 pm

For the most part, grass that has been burned by too much Nitrogen doesn't turn yellow first - it frizzles and turns brown.

Casutherland
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » March 7th, 2017, 11:25 am

andy10917 wrote:
March 6th, 2017, 9:21 pm
For the most part, grass that has been burned by too much Nitrogen doesn't turn yellow first - it frizzles and turns brown.
Hmmm, that makes sense. Andy, I will post some closer pictures of the blades here tonight or tomorrow and see if you can help diagnose those.

Thanks for the input!

Casutherland
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Joined: July 4th, 2016, 8:33 pm
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Re: Casutherland - 2017 Soil Test Results

Post by Casutherland » April 25th, 2017, 2:45 pm

So I was out in the yard yesterday, and based on observation and a little advice from a few local companies. I believe the issue that I am having is that my grass is so thick, and the roots so close, that is it not able to breath and is essentially getting choked out. I do not think that it is a fungus at all. We received about 6-7 inches of rain over this past weekend, and the yard is a deep/dark green. From a distance it looks SUPER healthy and great. However, when you get up close, you can see the damage in the thatch layer down below the thick dark grass blades. It appears that the grass is turning yellow first, and then dying.

I was told that mechanical aeration should help to get the roots and grass to breath. However, they stated I would need 4 inch plug pulled at a minimum. I cant find any or anything that pulls out plugs that deep. Nor can I find a spike aerator that will do that.

What do you think will help this issue? Time? Should I start aerating twice a year?

Just looking for a little insight and advice, now that I have a better idea of what is going on.

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