lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

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lawngonewrong
Posts: 27
Joined: December 27th, 2016, 10:10 am
Location: MD
Grass Type: KBG/HKBG/PRG/CRF
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

Post by lawngonewrong » September 22nd, 2017, 10:46 am

Hi all! I get that I'm late on the soil test train. I've got 8K sqft of largely TTTF, I originally seeded it with Newsom's TTTF/HBG 90/10. I've since overseeded, since it was patchy, this past Spring with Barenbrug's Turf Blue HGT (big thanks to member j4c11 for the suggestion!)--which appears to already be some of the healthiest grass- it survived the Summer's fungus best. So basically a NoMix, but given the presence of some persistent FF and Rye, I want to call it a YesMix lawn: Ba Dum Tss! Oh, and I have a patch or two of weed Bermuda. My dream is a dense, durable turf, but my lawn has a boom-bust pattern, growing fairly well from Sept. to June, where it promptly gets crushed and looks like a thinning head of hair, with ample weeds, by August.

I think I get the point of my soil test: my lawn's problems are not about soil, they're about other things, namely shade, competition for water with trees and shrubs, and given my humid climate that member MaynardGKeynes has elaborated on in other posts, a tendency for summer to turn into a fungal massacre. Oh, and I think my OM numbers are largely the product of weed seeds and grubs! JK, but only a little.



But anyway here's my 2017 test and I got a physical test as well:


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My 2016 test for comparison, though I'd caution against direct comparisons. I did my 2017 test with a sampling tool and got greater depth, whereas 2016 was done with a trowel and probably oversampled the surface layers, giving me among other things, a much higher OM%:

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My concerns:
1. How did my K improvement project work? BTW, it was informed by Morpheus on this GardenWeb thread: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussion ... -solutions. I followed Morph's instructions and in my over-eagerness added about 80lbs/K of Jersey Greensand. I'm basically happy here, though I might add a bit more SOP given my next issue:
2. How's my already high P doing? Well, it seems to have gotten higher, unless I assume the P concentration just increases with depth. I attribute the extra P to a) my first time mulching all my massive fall of Autumn leaves in 2016, b) applying 4 cubic yards of Leafgro compost to my 8k lawn as top dressing for a Spring overseed, and c) applying a single bag of Milorganite right after Memorial day. Going forward I'd like to keep mulching my leaves, but will probably hold off on compost or Milorganite apps.
3. Did getting really aggressive with BLSC up my Na? Yes, a bit, but not enough to worry yet.


And I was dumbfounded to discover clay comes in a distant third to silt and sand on my physical test.

Please share any thoughts you have. If nothing else, I've enjoyed reading the knowledge base of other folks' tests here and would like to add to that library.

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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: lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

Post by andy10917 » September 26th, 2017, 7:15 pm

You seem to me to be a bit prone to a more-is-better view of things. In doing thousands of soil tests over the years, I've never had to convert a test depth downward - it's always upward. Since the vast majority of the grass roots are in the top 6", we promote testing the middle of the root zone -- the inch between the 3" and 4" point. The 7" level might be great for soil that's growing corn, but it's sampling the zone where the grass roots ain't.

The soil is on-the-line between loams and heavy soils. If it drains OK, be happy. I don't know what to think about the 8.64 OM number - is that real at the root depth or is it part of the subsoil. No way to know.

The cations are OK. The Phosphorus is OK.

Please note that this leaves out any mention of Nitrogen. That's your's to pick, unless you ask for help.

The Iron is good.

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.

lawngonewrong
Posts: 27
Joined: December 27th, 2016, 10:10 am
Location: MD
Grass Type: KBG/HKBG/PRG/CRF
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

Post by lawngonewrong » October 5th, 2017, 8:52 am

Andy, thanks so much for interpretation and especially the boron recommendation. Fingers crossed I get the boron application right! Anyone ever do boron with granular SOP? I'm off the Vitamin M with my high P and think adding a bit of SOP is probably the most harmless carrier.

BTW, the 7" was just the product of enthusiastically using my brand new tool and not double-checking the depth until I was done. Having no idea that things would be thrown so much I went ahead and called that the sample. Better luck next time!

As for nitrogen, I'm into my second year of experiment with a low N regime. Not only do I have a serious shade issues and am starting seeding microclover, but I've been working with Sumagreen and am trying to keep within the new MD law which limits, among other things, total annual N and when the final application can go down. I keep meaning to ask on the "Fall Nitrogen Regimes" what other folks in MD and NJ, like turf_toes, do for late season nitrogen.

So far I've put down about 20lbs/K sqft of Alfalfa (Southern States' brand rabbit food) and 1 bag of ringer. I plan to something more down, but am still making up my mind.

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turf_toes
Posts: 6042
Joined: December 17th, 2008, 8:46 pm
Location: Central NJ
Grass Type: 77% Blueberry/23% Midnight Star KBG in front. Bewitched KBG monostand in back.
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Level: Not Specified

Re: lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

Post by turf_toes » October 5th, 2017, 9:27 am

Just my two cents... but if you have any doubt about your ability to get the boron right, then don’t do it at all. It’s something that can cause significant damage to your ability to grow anything, if you over apply.

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ken-n-nancy
Posts: 2571
Joined: July 17th, 2014, 3:58 pm
Location: Bedford, NH
Grass Type: Front: KBG (Bewitched+Prosperity); Side: Bewitched KBG; Back: Fine Fescue Blend + Prosperity
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: lawngonewrong's 2017 soil test

Post by ken-n-nancy » October 5th, 2017, 10:28 am

lawngonewrong wrote:
October 5th, 2017, 8:52 am
I'm off the Vitamin M with my high P ...
Just FYI, higher P levels within reason (you're not close to being excessive) are not harmful to the grass. The phosphorus provided by Vitamin M is non-leaching as long as you avoid issues of having the Milorganite physically run off from a deluge shortly after application and apply the Milorganite only to the lawn (rather than slinging it into the road where it can run off into storm sewers, etc.) So, in sum, you don't need to stop applying Milorganite out of fear that the higher P levels will harm the grass.

You do need to comply with local laws on phosphorus application. In many states (MA for example), organic fertilizers such as Milorganite have slightly different restrictions than those that are widely advertised.

The "exemption" is a little odd in MA and stems from the fact that the laws restrict the use of "phosphorus containing fertilizer" and by the MA legal definitions of "phosphorus containing fertilizer," natural organic fertilizers are NOT a "phosphorus containing fertilizer."

I have observed that the package for Bay State Fertilizer clearly uses the word "Natural Organic Fertilizer" prominently on the bag. ;)
MA General Laws, Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 128, Section 64 wrote:''Phosphorus containing fertilizer'', fertilizer labeled for use on lawn or non-agricultural turf in which the available phosphate content is greater than 0.67 per cent by weight, excluding organic compost and natural organic fertilizer.
There may be similar sparsely publicized exceptions in your local laws, too.

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