lawnal's soil test 2017

[lawnal]

Hello

I finally did my soil test from Logal Labs

Report is here:



Description and background:
I bought my townhouse 4 years ago and last year I finally did total reno. New sod, new shrubs. Also had subsurface drip irrigation installed for each zone.
I had a landscaper add 1" of topsoil and install new sod. This was done in april of last year. I kind of screwed up during initial stage with not watering it properly and some of it died. I then reseeded it in the fall with Sun and Shade mix. Forgot what brand but it came up after the winter. Most of it is good. Going to seed it again in the fall.
Mowing is done at 3" height using crappy battery lawnmower but it does the trick for now.
Irrigation is done with subsurface drip. Netafilm lines are 4-6" deep and I have it hooked up to rainmachine controller. Will aim for 1" of water a week. Will probably start once a week at first and then increase it to twice a week when it gets really hot in the summer.

I have 4 zones
Zone 1 - Back of the house is a 13 feet x 24 feet lawn that was sodded last year. It also has a big tree
It gets a little sun through the day but mostly its shade because of the tree
Picture:


Zone 2 - Side of the house. Its 6 feet wide by about 50 feet length
Partial sun and has sod planted at the same time as the back
Picture:


Zone 3 - Shrubs
This is a 10 feet by 10 feet area in front of my house that has shrubs and Cercis canadensis Lavender Twist tree
It gets 2 inches of mulch every year. Also was planted last year.
Picture:
URL limit reached. Will post it below

Zone 4 - Vegetable garden. This is raised bed garden that had organic screen topsoil brought in. Its 12 feet x 3 feet. Mainly used for tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.
Picture:
URL limit reached. Will post it below

Thank you in advance
Alex

[lawnal]

Zone 3 picture:



Zone 4 picture:

[lawnal]

Link to full size images in case these are too small

https://postimg.cc/gallery/2co8twm4e/

[andy10917]

That certainly doesn't look like typical No NJ soil. Very high in OM (ridiculously so!), alkaline pH, high in both Calcium and Magnesium. Every thing about that soil is on the high side.

The only thing in the macro's that the soil needs is Potassium. Sulfate of Potash (SOP, 0-0-50) should be applied monthly at 2 lbs/K.

In the micro’s, it’s only Boron. Get Twenty Mule Team Laundry Soap from the grocery and apply it at three tablespoons/K every 60 days. Do not apply in the Garden area. Read the Micronutrient Application Guide for application specifics.

[lawnal]

Thank you Andy. This was a new construction back in 2012 when I bought it. Not sure where or how the soil came in. I did do total renovation last year. New sprinklers, new sod. My landscaper brought in 7 cubic yards of topsoil and spread it out everywhere. It came about between 1 and 2 inches in total. Sod was local.

Already read the guide on micro nutrients application while waiting for my turn. Going to start this or next week. Once i gather all the stuff I need.
I also want to apply nematodes and milky spores as my installer found a lot of grubs last year and I would them this year when I was planting my garden and doing soil tests. Decided to try this route instead of using chemicals.

I will also do another soil test next year. Its really annoying to do with my subsurface drip irrigation lines. I punctured them in 5 places during my soil test. 4" is about the depth of my lines.

Thank you

Alex

[lawnal]

Stupid question but how do you apply SOP? Is it granular and i can just do it with my scotts's Edgeguard mini spreader? Any particular brand of SOP to get?

[andy10917]

There are granular and powder versions. Stay with the granular unless you have experience with foliar applications (which are at much lower rates). The powders will not throw properly from a spreader, and on breezy days can just blow away. The granular products are easy to work with.

[lawnal]

Thank you. Does this look ok? https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/granular ... ertilizer/ Also what month should i stop applying it before winter?

[andy10917]

I'd quit on it when you switch to the Fall Nitrogen Regimen, but in No NJ no later than the end of September.

[lawnal]

Got it. Thank you. Another question. If i'm applying boron every 60 days mixing it with Milorganite do i still need to apply Milorganite in the fall?

[ken-n-nancy]

Stupid question but how do you apply SOP? Is it granular and i can just do it with my scotts's Edgeguard mini spreader? Any particular brand of SOP to get?

Not a stupid question at all.

Sulfate of Potash won't be found at the big box stores. You'll need to get it at either a specialty lawn and garden center or a farm supply store. Brand names don't really apply; sulfate of potash intended for use as a fertilizer will most likely come in a "generic" bag with a very plain label saying something like "Sulfate of Potash 0-0-50" and not a whole lot more than that other than the name and address of the distributor. It will also probably come in a 50-pound bag from a lawn and garden center and be intended for agricultural use.

I found out where to buy it in my area by searching online for lawn and garden centers in my area and calling around (yes, using a phone) and asking for it. Calling can be a little discouraging, in that 1/3 of the people won't have heard of it, 1/3 of the people will tell you they don't have it but they have some 0-0-60 (Muriate of Potash) which you should use instead (by the way, you shouldn't use it instead), and then the other 1/3 will know what you're talking about and will either have some in stock or will offer to order it for you.

Prices run all over the place, from as high as $50 for a 50-pound bag, to as little as about $20 for a 50-pound bag. Keep calling until you find a place that can get it for a reasonable price. I paid $35.99 this year, but that was because I forgot to buy it in early spring when I could have used a coupon and I chose not to haggle on price because the place I get it from special orders it for me and I thus like to support their friendly business.

I get mine at an Agway location. Some get it at Site One (formerly John Deere Landscapes), or Valley Green (more of a turf specialty store catering to golf courses, etc.) or Crop Production Services (catering to farmers for agricultural fertilizers, where they do most of their sales by the hopper-full).

Ideally, you'll want a product which is in granules of a good size for your spreader. Some here have accidentally purchased products intended for laboratory use (potassium sulfate, the same thing) which will be powdered and a real pain to spread. Others (myself included) have bought agricultural products which can be very large granules that may not go through your spreader at the low rate needed for applying SOP to turf (2 pounds per ksqft). The product I use now is about the same granule size as milorganite or Bay State Fertilizer. The product my Agway had the first year I bought it was a large granule intended for agricultural use that was about the size of pea gravel. (Actually, it was probably a "mined" product and was practically "crushed rock.") What they've sourced in recent years for me appears to be a synthetic product with quite uniform prill like urea.

With the right granule size, your Edgeguard spreader will work fine. I've successfully spread SOP with an Earthway broadcast spreader and a Scotts AG3000 drop spreader.

I probably should turn this posting into an article about "how to find sulfate of potash." Then again, maybe the "search" feature would be the way to go, as there must be dozens of posts on this site with roughly this information...

[ken-n-nancy]

Thank you. Does this look ok? https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/granular ... ertilizer/ Also what month should i stop applying it before winter?

The above product is easy to get if you have a small lawn, or only need a little, or don't mind paying a lot more for the convenience of ordering it online and having it delivered to your door.

With the size of my lawn though, I've been applying 100 pounds of SOP annually. That only costs me $71.98 this year, which is about half the price of the supplier you reference.

[lawnal]

Thank you ken-n-nancy. Actually i tried searching and most of what it returns where apply SOP from the recommendations. You should turn it into an article. Definitely helps. Time to use my phone

My entire lawn is about 800 sqf so all i need is about 8 pounds for this year. I will call around locally and see if i can pick up 50 pound bag. Most online places charge about the same for shipping as the price of SOP. I got spoiled by amazon

[andy10917]

Do not bother trying to find it in big-box stores. If you're lucky, a garden center may have it. Farm and golf suppliers also have it.

How far north are you in NJ? If you jump the border into NY, I know a place that has it for sure. I know, cos that's where I get mine...
'

[lawnal]

Do not bother trying to find it in big-box stores. If you're lucky, a garden center may have it. Farm and golf suppliers also have it.

How far north are you in NJ? If you jump the border into NY, I know a place that has it for sure. I know, cos that's where I get mine...
'

I'm by Fort Lee in Cliffside Park

[andy10917]

Ummmmm, not many farm stores around there. A nice bridge, but very, very few farms.

[lawnal]

Andy - I found 3 agways 15 miles away. Will call them tomorrow. What store is the one you use? I can take a ride out there get a 50 pound bag and that will last me for 3-4 years.

[andy10917]

Nah, far away from you. The place is in Florida/Pine Island/Goshen NY. If you were in New Milford or Newfoundland it might be OK. You're practically in NYC.

[lawnal]

Ah ok. I found one nearby but they have 0-0-60. Would that work?

[andy10917]

Keep trying. 0-0-60 is Muriate of Potash, which is Chlorine-based and harsh. We use it for rough work and finish with the right stuff -- SOP.