Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
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Bales9er
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Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 7th, 2019, 1:19 pm

Soil test from this year is below. Not very promising even though I followed the recommendations from last year to a T and nearly all of my values went DOWN! Is it just such poor soil conditions that everything leaches out no matter what I do? I'm assuming applying whatever I can find for OM is going to be the only solution short of bringing in all new topsoil, correct? Even with that plan its going to take years to get this soil to where it will hold nutrients. I have plenty of questions on how best to move forward but I'll wait for the general interpretation and go from there.

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andy10917
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » May 11th, 2019, 10:19 am

Eek!!! That soil has the properties of beach sand, and probably leaches heavily. The only things you can do (other than replacing the soil, which I hate) is to apply copious amounts of organic matter regularly and apply a fraction of the recommended amounts of denser nutrients at short intervals. Instead of applying a lb of the primary nutrients every month, apply 60% of the amounts every two weeks - that ensures that they are available even if they leach easily.

The TEC if around 1.5 indicates an extremely sandy soil that doesn't hold nutrients well at all. Since all other nutrient applications and recommended applications are based on that number, the bar is set very, very low. This is the nicest way I can think of to say the situation is worse than the raw numbers even point at. The only way to improve it is by raising the OM%. Applications of humates (fulvic and humic acids) may help for a while, but even they may settle under the growing zone with time.

In the cations, all of the levels are lacking badly, and this drives the pH which is coming in at 5.1. Not good. Make sure to use a good high-quality calcitic lime (Encap/Mag-I-Cal/SoluCal) at 9 lbs/K and mix it with 2 lbs/K of Epsom Salts. Apply the mix at 11 lbs/K, every 60 days. For Potassium, get and apply Sulfate of Potash (0-0-50, "SOP") at 2 lbs/K monthly. It's not easy to locate.

Phosphorus levels are good.

So are Iron numbers, and available at your pH.

Do you want to deal with micronutrients in 2019? A couple are seriously lacking.

For Nitrogen, you could use Bay State at bag rate every couple of weeks (yeah, a lot, I know). It's inexpensive and effective. The lawn will probably react well if you do it.

I feel for you - that's a very challenging soil in an area where many soils are challenging. But with time, it will improve. Your case is one where a gentle approach won't work. It is a case of "when a hammer isn't doing the job, get a bigger hammer"...

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » May 11th, 2019, 5:09 pm

So I looked at this too, bales9er. I suspect your crappy soil is why you struggle getting new grass to grow. The acidic soil and high aluminum make me wonder if you arent also fighting aluminum toxicity, which will stunt root growth.

Lots working against you here. IF you decide to renovate, I'd apply lots of organic material in the months beforehand and absolutely pursue the light and frequent fertilizer approach Andy recommended until the TEC and pH improve.

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 11th, 2019, 9:32 pm

Thanks for the insight, I knew it wasn't going to be promising. Obviously have a long road ahead of me but I took some time today to mull over some options and I'll preface my questions by saying that I have no problem using Baystate (already my go-to), SoluCal is the lime I use along with epsom salts and SOP is no problem for me to source, in fact I even get it in a fairway grade prill size from a local golf & turf supplier which is real nice going through the spreader.

The need to add OM whenever possible is obvious and I'm going to make a harder push to find new sources for that. It's ironic that Andy mentioned applying my nutrients at 60% of the recommended rate and more frequently because I have been wondering if an approach like that would be best. It makes sense since the nutrients cant stay in the root zone for very long so just hammer the lawn with light feedings frequently.

So that said, I agree with the suggested approach and I plan to follow it but Im curious what might happen if I were to skip the lime and SOP applications and stick to just the light and frequent Baystate feedings along with applying any and all OM i can find. My mind is saying, "why waste the money, time and effort on the other nutrients that feed the SOIL when the soil can't hold the nutrients to begin with?" Wouldn't an approach of just feeding the grass work just as well until I can get the OM up to a point where the soil can hold all nutrients at least a little bit? What am I missing with this mindset? I feel like im in the same boat as a major league ballpark having to grow in soil-less conditions, albeit without the crazy resources they have, but the premise is the same...feed the grass not the soil because there is no soil to feed.

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » May 11th, 2019, 9:46 pm

The lime and SOP supply some of the major cations that feed the turf nutrients your soil lacks. It's probably more important in this situation because these additions also increase pH. That pH acidity causes issues, like potential aluminum toxicity.

So i wouldnt skip them. It all kind of works together.


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andy10917
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » May 12th, 2019, 6:42 am

It all kind of works together.
Well-said, and important. It all does even more than work together, it is all necessary for anything to work. The "Law of the Minimum" (written about in detail elsewhere on the site) tells us that if you don't have all of the critical primary and secondary (including micronutrients) nutrients, then the growth will not progress past the point where the the supply of the scarcest nutrient is exhausted.

So in essence, it's more wasteful to put down lots of one nutrient and none of another - if Calcium or Potassium isn't present, the grass won't use any of the Phosphorus you add.

There is one nutrient that behaves differently than the Law of the Minimum: Nitrogen. Nitrogen can force growth even where other nutrients are lacking. Sound great? It's not. The forced growth will be spindly and prone to disease - especially fungal disease.

Here is a link to the core tenets of the ST6 Soil Testing: Soil Testing Tenets

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 12th, 2019, 7:23 am

Deep down I knew the answer to my own question and I do understand the law of the minimum but was just curious if there was a cheat for this situation just to buy some time.

I do still plan on renovating in the fall so if you think the micronutrients need to be addressed I'm open to working on those as well.

As far as applications of everything, I know to space out the SOP and lime applications by a couple weeks but I assume I can put down the Baystate at the same time as the lime app or at the same time as a SOP app?

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andy10917
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » May 12th, 2019, 7:52 am

There are no cheats that won't lead to a disease-prone lawn. I deliberately never recommend cheating in that area, for that reason.

In the micro's, it's Boron and Copper. Get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap for Boron at the grocery store and Copper Sulfate from Amazon or EBAY. Apply each at 3 tablespoons/K every 60 days of the growing season.

Baystate can be applied at the same time as almost everything.

Bales9er
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 12th, 2019, 8:04 am

Thanks Andy & HLG, appreciate the recommendations and the time you guys spend on these interpretations.

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 13th, 2019, 7:39 pm

One last question, I can apply the copper sulfate and boron at the same time correct? Mix them both into my Baystate apps?

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » May 13th, 2019, 7:57 pm

Yes, you can.

Bales9er
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 13th, 2019, 8:07 pm

Great, thank you

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 21st, 2019, 2:17 pm

andy10917 wrote:
May 11th, 2019, 10:19 am
apply a fraction of the recommended amounts of denser nutrients at short intervals. Instead of applying a lb of the primary nutrients every month, apply 60% of the amounts every two weeks

For Nitrogen, you could use Bay State at bag rate every couple of weeks (yeah, a lot, I know). It's inexpensive and effective. The lawn will probably react well if you do it.
Just re-read the recommended plan of attack and got a bit confused. I plan on using only Bay State for my feedings so should I ignore the 60% rule mentioned above and just do bag rate every couple weeks or should I still adhere to that 60% rule?

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » May 21st, 2019, 9:08 pm

Either method will work.

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » May 21st, 2019, 9:10 pm

:good:

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » August 19th, 2019, 3:49 pm

Any of the ST6 members want to weigh in on this? In my attempt to find a quicker solution to my soil issues, I asked for and received the soil test results of a Loam/Compost Mix and straight Compost from my local composting farm a few towns over. The results are below. My question is, would I be able to dramatically improve the condition of my soil by adding just a 1/2" of either of these products to my lawn and till it into the top 4" of soil? I'm not worried about the ensuing weed seeds from tilling, I can take care of that with the inevitable reno, but I'm just curious if adding that little (since the micros and macros are so high) would provide an instant boost to my soil and give me a brand new starting point. They get $45/yard for the mix and $55/yard for the compost, hence my question about using as little as possible to make a difference.


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andy10917
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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by andy10917 » August 20th, 2019, 9:10 am

I don't know what to say - I see a 5.1 pH soil with a 1.49 TEC in your soil, and a TEC of 37 with a pH of 7.8 being mixed. And I hate tilling. They don't just immediately average out to something in the middle - there is going to be chemical activity for a while as the soil works to integrate itself. How will that play out, and what will the lawn do while it's playing out? That's tough to figure out.

You also have to contend with the idea that tilling the soil is pretty damaging to the microbial life ("microherd") and actually releases Carbon to the atmosphere when tilled - that's a loss of organic matter.

Sorry, but I can't offer any advice about your situation -- I've just no experience along the lines you're considering, and don't know how it will play out -- and I don't offer advice in areas that I have no base of experience to lean on...

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Re: Bales9er's 2019 Soil Test

Post by Bales9er » August 20th, 2019, 10:15 am

Thats fair thanks Andy. I guess you did answer my question which i should have simplified beforehand, would it all just average out when being mixed together. I guess if nothing else starting small and adding it to the surface wouldn't hurt with continued additions each year as I am able.

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