Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
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RodOkc
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Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » April 18th, 2019, 11:57 pm

I combined roughly 20 plugs from the front and back yard into one sample. The yard is 6,000 sq ft with red clay subsoil. The house was built in 1974. I've done nothing with amendments since we've owned the home except mulch mowing for the last 3 years. I'd like to tackle the micros this year. It looks like I need Boron, Iron, and maybe Copper. Since my pH is 7.1 and Iron is on the low side, I don't know if it's possible to bring that down a touch or not to get the benefits. Does iron bind up right at 7? I plan to continue to mulch mow and it looks like I should start using some compost to increase the OM. Thoughts? And thanks for your time!

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » April 19th, 2019, 7:05 am

Put a link to this thread into the Soil Test Interpretation Queue for a place in the waiting line, or you will get buried during Busy Season.

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » April 20th, 2019, 9:46 am

That's a bit challenging...

You have a heavy soil with a lot of Calcium and Magnesium - and the Ca:Mg ratio (at around 6:1) is near the border where the soil can get slow-to-drain and/or tough to work with. Does the soil drain OK? That information will help me to choose the best regimen for you...

RodOkc
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » April 20th, 2019, 5:27 pm

We had heavy rain this week (about 2.5"). No standing water after an hour, but takes about 2 days for the surface to completely dry out. When wet the soil is workable, but hard when dry. When I took the soil samples it was a challenge to break them up. They wanted to clump together and were very hard when they dried. I can see the mulching is slowly improving the color of the soil (getting darker in areas where I mulch the most leaves and more workable).

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » April 21st, 2019, 11:33 am

Yeah, that sounds similar to the potential challenges that the soil test shows.

You've got a heavy soil that has an abundance of Calcium and Magnesium, and your description sounds like a "tight soil".

Luckily, the soil contains adequate Potassium, but on the (slightly) negative side, the Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium add up to drive the pH up above where the "sweet spot" is, and that affects the ability of the lawn to utilize Iron (which is low) well. You could make your Nitrogen source(s) include Milorganite (or equivalent) to deliver some "naturally-chelated" Iron to affect color positively. Your call...

At 4%+, your OM% is OK but not great. Since the soil is heavy, it holds nutrients well, but additional OM will assist in making the soil drain better and be looser.

Phosphorus is fine.

In the micro's, it's only Boron that is low -- is that part of your 2019 plan?

With Potassium and Phosphorus OK, you can use Urea or natural Nitrogen sources - lots of options...


RodOkc
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » April 21st, 2019, 5:22 pm

Yes I'd like to start working on the Boron this year. Since bermuda loves nitrogen I will alternate urea and natural sources of it along with Milorganite for color as you suggested. I'm going to up my game in the OM department this year. Any other suggestions in addition to lots of it to loosen the soil?

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » April 21st, 2019, 8:58 pm

BLSC may help some, but you're dealing with a large-scale chemical bond situation, so all bets aren't for certain.

For Boron, get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap from the grocery, and apply 3 tablespoons/K every 60 days, as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide.

RodOkc
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » April 21st, 2019, 9:49 pm

I still have some Twenty Mule from 2011 from a previous reno at a different location. It's been in the garage for a while. The stuff doesn't go bad does it? Also, BLSC?

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » April 21st, 2019, 10:25 pm

Cmon - use the search function! It turns up only 1,682 matches.

The Borax shouldn't be bad unless it has hardened into a rock.

RodOkc
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » April 21st, 2019, 10:58 pm

Ok thanks Andy!

RodOkc
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » June 15th, 2019, 10:43 am

Question: Would gypsum help loosen this tight soil or is that only for soils that are high in sodium?

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » June 15th, 2019, 11:16 am

You're a borderline case, but if you want to experiment, Gypsum might displace some Magnesium.

Gypsum has two primary uses in my plans:

(1) it can assist in flushing Sodium from the soil. That's not you.
(2) it can displace Magnesium in the soil, and replace it with Calcium - without affecting the pH. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. You have to try it and see what happens in your situation. It has potential for you.

RodOkc
Posts: 18
Joined: April 18th, 2019, 11:53 am
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by RodOkc » June 15th, 2019, 11:26 am

I've applied the BLSC mix several times now and it seems to be helping, so I'll continue using it. Also, I found some promising gypsum here (https://www.pennington.com/all-products ... ing-gypsum). Unless you suggest something different, I'll give it a shot and report back.

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andy10917
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Re: Rod's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » June 15th, 2019, 11:37 am

That's a good product. It can be used at bag rate every 60 days.

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