Wayne Schmagel Soil Test 2017

[wayneschmagel]

Hello everyone,
I've been lurking and learning on here for awhile. I finally got tired of guessing about my soil so I got it tested.
Backgound:
Turftype Tall Fescue
NE Kansas
For the past 1 1/2 I have only applied Milorganite and Urea.
I mow at 4"
I water only when necessary
Some fungus. Usually Brown Patch.
I would like to do whatever I can to build and maintain the soil.
I like the idea of mostly organic but I am realistic about it and am fine with a hybrid approach.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne

[HoosierLawnGnome]

That's actually a pretty nice soil to work with, particularly if you are interested in organic feeding as it doesn't need a lot of adjustment. My overall strategy would be to bump it to the right base nutrient levels using more organic-friendly nutrients, then shift to a pure organic maintenance regimen.

You have a heavy soil with the TEC of 19.79. If you want to know your particle makeup you can do the test in the soil management article. Probably a silty or clay based loam.

In the major cations, you have lots of Ca and Mg - likely suspects for the higher pH @ 7.2. The K looks a little shy, but it's not terrible.

The Organic Matter (OM) level is very good. congratulations! We'll work with that!

The Phosphorus level is likewise quite good, as is your iron level. The trouble is that your iron level is getting less usable with that pH.

So, frankly - here's what I'll recommend:

Apply BLSC and KH regularly to loosen up that heavy soil, and kickstart that microherd in that great OM you have.

Apply milorganite monthly at bag rate during spring and fall, half bag rate during the summer. More in the fall if you like.

For a little more K, apply 2 lbs / K of Sulfate of Potash (SOP) 0-0-50 in the next week. This may be harder to find, but it much easier on your microherd than a harsher nutrient like MOP 0-0-60. Get the SOP. Farm co-op, garden specialty, etc.

You are in the transition zone so you may not need to "winterize" as we do further up north.

So, really - not much work - and SOP is a pretty organic-friendly fertilizer - which you don't need much of.

[wayneschmagel]

Thank you very much HoosierLawnGnome.
I do have some questions.

I like the idea of BLSC and KH.

I have located SOP and will be getting it soon. Can I make applications throughout the fall? Should I continue SOP apps in the spring? If so how often? Is there a yearly recommendation for K?

I have been and will continue to apply Milorganite at a rate of 1 lb of N/K monthly from April until September or October. I did not apply in July because it was hot and dry.

What do you think of using a combination of Milorganite and Ammonium Sulphate as my fall nitrogen regime? My thought was the AS could help to bring the pH down or at least not push it higher.

In my area of the transition zone it does get cold and we do "winterize". Last year I put my last Milo application on October 14 and Urea application on November 14. I may have got a little anxious and put the Urea on a little too soon but not by much. By Christmas it was dormant.

Again thank you very much and I'm sure more questions will follow.
Wayne

[wayneschmagel]

Did I ask a dumb question or say something stupid?
Wayne

[MorpheusPA]

Not at all, Wayne, it's just that the season's winding down and we tend to pay a little less attention as September starts to roll into October.

You can apply the SoP right now if you like. It's really gentle stuff and 2 pounds per thousand won't hurt anything. Then repeat in 1 month, if ground freeze is still at least a month off at that time (I don't know Kansas weather). If the ground may freeze within the next month, don't apply it. It's of minimal risk of washing off, but let's not waste money.

Overall, with a 218 pound shortage, it looks like 4 apps will be necessary, total. Let's schedule those like so:

Application of Sulfate of Potash: 2 pounds per thousand square feet on September 22nd, October 22nd, April 15th, and May 15th.

If you can get ammonium sulfate cheaply, it's a good choice. If not, you can certainly get urea cheaply, and that's also a good choice (that will also reduce your pH over time). Plus the organics help the pH to matter less.

Your pH isn't that far out of line, actually, while your EC is so high that mildly off amounts to a lot of calcium in the soil. So it'll take years to make a dent in it, but again, 7.2 is just fine for grass.

BLSC and KH don't interfere with any of this and can be applied up to monthly if you want to.

[wayneschmagel]

Thanks Morph!
I totally understand everyone is super busy. Sorry I got kinda anxious.
Thanks again,
Wayne