Central NJ Soil Test

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
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agn015
Posts: 176
Joined: April 2nd, 2016, 11:32 am
Location: Long Island, NY (Suffolk County)
Grass Type: Hogan Blend - GTO/Hemi/Hot Rod TTTF Everest/Award/Everglade/Midnight KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Central NJ Soil Test

Post by agn015 » June 27th, 2017, 11:44 am

My mom has 7k sqft of lawn at her house in Central NJ. She seeded the 1.5k backyard with a mix of red fescue, perennial ryegrass and kbg. We think the 5.5k front is 75% zoysia, since it is brown for most of the year, and 25% is the seed mix from the backyard.

She doesn't irrigate but mows high regularly. The soil test results look decent to my untrained eye but what does ST6 think?

Thank you in advance :)
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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: Central NJ Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » July 8th, 2017, 6:38 am

Is there any chance that Lime has been applied as a normal annual practice for years? This looks like a soil that has been overshot with Lime apps (and dolomitic lime) for quite a while. It's not typical of Central Jersey soils.

It's not the end of the world, but knowing how that happened would go a long way...

agn015
Posts: 176
Joined: April 2nd, 2016, 11:32 am
Location: Long Island, NY (Suffolk County)
Grass Type: Hogan Blend - GTO/Hemi/Hot Rod TTTF Everest/Award/Everglade/Midnight KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Central NJ Soil Test

Post by agn015 » July 8th, 2017, 7:50 am

I'm not sure. The house was just purchased in October so the history is unknown. The previous owner did brag that someone in their family was a landscape engineer and designed the whole property... it did not look good.

Is there any way for me to check about the lime or should I see if the neighbors know anything?

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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: Central NJ Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » July 8th, 2017, 8:45 am

Nah. I'll assume that's the explanation.

User avatar
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: Central NJ Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » July 8th, 2017, 9:37 am

The soil is lower (sandier) side of a Loam, but has an excellent OM number.

The Calcium and Magnesium are unusually high for a central NJ soil. I suspect it has been amended with dolomitic lime as a routine for years. NO LIME - the pH is higher than we'd like.

With Potassium and Phosphorus low, the recipe is to use a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 19-19-19. Select and post one for app rates and frequency. The Iron is very good, but likely unavailable due to the pH.

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. Read the Micronutrient Application Guide for application specifics.

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