Bitties 2019 Home Soil Test - LoganLabs

[bitties]

Hi all -

Long time lurker but first time signing up and getting started on the road to lawn greatness. I have about 1250 SF in Washington DC that is south/east facing and is mostly fescue/landscapers mix. It's relatively weed free right now, with some patchiness from poor overseeding and some moss patches where the drainage is poor. I am a novice but follow general cool season grass guide - pre-em, post-em, plenty of milorganite and mowing high. I currently think i'm fighting either a little summer burnout or a small fungal infection, so I've picked up some Eagle 20EW to manage that. Anyway - i had commissioned a soil test from Logan recently to get a composite of my relatively small lawn. Was hoping for some interpretation and recommendations on what comes next.

[andy10917]

If it isn't in the Soil Test Interpretation Queue, you don't have a place in line, and we'll lose it in all the other threads. Post a link in that thread pointing at this thread.

[bitties]

Sorry, didnt see that a moderator approved it. It's in the queue now.

[andy10917]

Well, you may take this as good news or bad news.

There isn't much trouble that needs to be dealt with in that soil test. You have a medium loam that leans ever-so-slightly to the heavy side, and most of the other results are pretty good. The OM at 5%+ is great, cations good with the exception of Potassium. Phosphorus is very good.

Iron is a bit on the weak side. All of the micronutrients are fine except for Boron. BTW, you could open a Zinc mine on your property.

So let's look at maximizing what you have. You need to locate Sulfate of Potash ("SOP", not so easy to find). Apply it at 2 lbs/K monthly until October.

For Iron at your pH, you could apply 2-3 lbs/K of Ferrous Sulfate (also called Iron Sulfate), every 60 days.

If you want to fix the Boron shortage, apply 3 tablespoons/K of Twenty Mule Team laundry soap every 60 days, as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide.

That's pretty much it. Please temper your expectations somewhat though - even good soil and great care isn't going to turn landscaper mix into one of the gorgeous superdark lawns that you see posted on the site. There is a limit to how far you can take it in the genetics of the grasses.

[bitties]

Appreciate it Andy!