krebsy's soil test 2021

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
Post Reply
krebsy
Posts: 15
Joined: December 1st, 2015, 11:10 am
Location: Bucks County, (SE) PA
Grass Type: KBG Blend
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

krebsy's soil test 2021

Post by krebsy » March 18th, 2021, 10:42 am

Image

This lawn is located in Bucks County, Southeastern PA, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia. The home was built in 2019, and the lawn seed used is unknown. It was planted very late in the fall and did not fare well the following summer. Much of it died and was taken over by an assortment of weeds. I plan to utilize the triangle approach to start getting that under control.

I intend to begin a multi-stage renovation this year using a KBG blend. Until then, I want to start addressing soil health. I mulch mow tall as needed, and irrigate during dry times to at least prevent die off from drought, though I think it was too little too late last summer. I brought the lawn of our previous home from a sorry state to something that looked quite nice, and I hope to do the same here. I am ready to execute a full plan including any necessary micronutrient application.

Thanks for the guidance! It’s an invaluable resource!

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18136
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: krebsy's soil test 2021

Post by MorpheusPA » March 18th, 2021, 4:05 pm

Howdy, neighbor. With a reno in the plan, and with the limited changes you have coming, I'm going to recommend something I usually don't--an accelerated change. In this case, even in the areas where you don't renovate, it has very few consequences (if any). Your soil actually looks good.

Since I think (know) this is your first soil test, I give you the entire thing broken out line by line (for what's important).

ME 14.5: Probably a silty soil where you are, but it may include some clay. I have the same (no clay, though). It's a wonderful soil to grow grass or anything else in, and can support anything up to a forest.

pH 7.5: Target is usually 6.2 to 6.5, but this isn't out of range for a great lawn and it's nothing to worry about. It just means you won't be adding lime for the foreseeable future. Grasses are perfectly happy at this pH, but may not attain their best green color without being sprayed with iron (even surface-applied iron becomes questionable at this pH).

OM 6.4%: Extremely good. While no special effort needs to be made, certainly mulch mow and mow in your fall leaves to maintain this. You can certainly feed organically if you want, of course.

Sulfur 26: Completely normal and expected.

Phosphorus 261: Exactly on-target. For your pH, my target would be 250. I literally couldn't hit the target any better than that. No phosphorus is required or desired, and you won't need to use starter fertilizer when planting, it's unnecessary.

Calcium 72%: On paper a bit high and helping to add to that slightly high pH, but not a problem. Grasses don't care about a little extra calcium in the soil. Most plants are fine with it, actually, but evergreens may suffer a little (most will adjust, but rhododendrons and the like may show signs of chlorosis).

Magnesium 20%: High, and definitely adding to your pH. Definitely avoid significant magnesium sources, which is really easy because it's "dolomitic limestone or Epsom salt" and that's about it. :-) Magnesium at this level and proportion to Ca can make your soil tight and feel like clay. Check the Soil Conditioner article for some help on that if that's the case.

Potassium 2.9%: It's actually fine saturation-wise, but a little low in the soil. Given that it's competing with magnesium and calcium, I'd like to boost this a bit in your soil, and we have the opportunity to do it before you renovate. We use potassium sulfate to do this (sulfate of potash is another name) but people are having trouble finding that at reasonable prices. I'm OK with potassium chloride if that's what you can get. I'll give amounts for both below as I'm fine applying either at the same rate in this one case; you're not that short.

Sodium 1.3%: What is it with the high sodium lately? It's not awful, but bears watching. If it gets worse, we can do something about it. Sodium at this level won't cause an issue, but with your EC, it's starting to get a little concerning. It's a useless ion (for the most part; some plants require it in trace amounts) that pushes pH up and is toxic in large quantities. I wouldn't want to see this hit 2%.

Trace Elements: Every one is absolutely perfect, and I'm not sure how you managed that one. Let's just not worry about it.
You can always add more iron to your soil to improve green color, but again, at your pH that's borderline on how well it works. Still, if you want to feed with Milorganite or something else with a lot of iron, it might help and can't hurt. I made no recommendation as to this below.

Recommendations (with renovation coming):

April 15: Apply 2 pounds of either potassium chloride or potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

May 15: Apply 2 pounds of either potassium chloride or potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

June 15: Apply 2 pounds of either potassium chloride or potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

Notes: I wouldn't normally slap the soil quite that hard, but with the reno coming, I'm fine with it. If you don't get the potassium by April, simply apply the third dose in July--but irrigate well afterward, or apply it immediately before a good rainfall is expected. If you cancel the reno, I might be inclined to change this, but it's really not that much of an issue as long as it gets watered in well.

krebsy
Posts: 15
Joined: December 1st, 2015, 11:10 am
Location: Bucks County, (SE) PA
Grass Type: KBG Blend
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: krebsy's soil test 2021

Post by krebsy » March 19th, 2021, 7:59 am

Thanks Morph! I'll work on sourcing the potassium and rounding up supplies for the reno. As for that, you mention no need for starter fertilizer at planting. Any suggestions for what I should use instead? Just a general purpose lawn fertilizer until I switch back to a "standard" fertilizer regimen? Thanks again. I don't know how I managed to have soil with so few issues...

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18136
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: krebsy's soil test 2021

Post by MorpheusPA » March 19th, 2021, 1:01 pm

Anything with high nitrogen, low everything else, so a high first number, low other two. I usually recommend something with low or no slow release nitrogen because you really don't need it. Again, just get the cheapest. Urea would probably be cheapest at 46-0-0, but hardest to handle at 2.2 pounds per thousand per application. Something around 30-0-0 or 30-2-2 or the like would be easier to handle (3 pounds per thousand or so) but more expensive from a company.

If you want to go organic, that's great, emphasize high nitrogen sources like soybean meal (7-1-2).

That's pretty much it for the foreseeable future, on the following dates:

Memorial Day (this year with the reno, you'll skip it), Labor Day (this year, with the reno, you'll skip this one), October 1, and when growth stops for the year.

krebsy
Posts: 15
Joined: December 1st, 2015, 11:10 am
Location: Bucks County, (SE) PA
Grass Type: KBG Blend
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: krebsy's soil test 2021

Post by krebsy » March 19th, 2021, 2:14 pm

Thanks for the follow up. I guess I'll have it easy this year until July. I'm sure even the small reno I have planned will more than make up for it!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests