PW405's Spring 2021 Soil Test

[PW405]

After a few... distractions... that seemed to crop up last spring, I am excited for the 2021 lawn season. My fall overseed conditions were excellent and the lawn is looking great, but off to a slow start due to historic winter storm in Feb. Oh, and the historic winter storm in October.

Front and back yard samples combined in to a single test.

Yard Facts™
Dimensions: Front: 2700ft. Back: 500 sqft.
Turf Types: TTTF & KBG
Watering: deep and & infrequent
Mowing: Generally, 1X/Week.
Disease: Relatively little (Some minor occurrence of (likely) Brown Patch around June)
Weed pressure: relatively little

Prior Soil Test Forum Posts
2017*: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=23015#p315317
(*Note - The first image of results posted in 2017 were missing a few rows)
2019: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=24774

Goals:
Push turf quality to highest possible level. Drought & heat tolerance are key. I want people to see my lawn and immediately declare me the King of Turfgrass. Willing to do whatever it takes. Advanced methods are welcome!

2021 Test Results:


Thank you for the soil interpretation, as always!
--PW405

[PW405]

I was interested in comparing the results of my tests over the last 4 years, so I put together this composite in a single image to easily observe changes from test to test:

[andy10917]

Ooooh !!! So PW405 wants to go all fancy...

The TEC at 7.74 is just short of the Loam category, and the OM is in the Poor category, just short of Mediocre. Adding whatever compost/mulched leaves/peat moss you can handle.

In the cations, Calcium is somewhat low, Magnesium is on the high side and Potassium is lower than I like to see. The end result is a pH of 6.3 -- but your coming to that through the side door. Use fast-acting Gypsum at the high bag rate which will raise the Calcium and hopefully displace some of the Magnesium. Apply every 60 days. Also apply Sulfate of Potash ("SOP", 0-0-50) monthly at 2 lbs/K monthly through September.

Phosphorus is plentiful.

Iron is very good and available at your pH.

In the micro's, Boron is short. Get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap from the grocery, and apply 3 tablespoons per 1000 sq ft every 60 days as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide.

Nitrogen is up to you, unless you want a recommendation.

[PW405]

Ooooh !!! So PW405 wants to go all fancy...

The TEC at 7.74 is just short of the Loam category, and the OM is in the Poor category, just short of Mediocre. Adding whatever compost/mulched leaves/peat moss you can handle.

In the cations, Calcium is somewhat low, Magnesium is on the high side and Potassium is lower than I like to see. The end result is a pH of 6.3 -- but your coming to that through the side door. Use fast-acting Gypsum at the high bag rate which will raise the Calcium and hopefully displace some of the Magnesium. Apply every 60 days. Also apply Sulfate of Potash ("SOP", 0-0-50) monthly at 2 lbs/K monthly through September.

Phosphorus is plentiful.

Iron is very good and available at your pH.

In the micro's, Boron is short. Get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap from the grocery, and apply 3 tablespoons per 1000 sq ft every 60 days as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide.

Nitrogen is up to you, unless you want a recommendation.

Thank you good sir!

I'm a little confused on my OM progress. Could this variation be due to sampling error? As in.... perhaps I wasn't taking deep enough samples in my prior tests? While I understand moving the OM number takes quite a bit time, I've made much effort to mulch grass the majority of the year, mulch leaves, etc. If anything I wouldn't expect it to decrease.

Gypsum & SOP purchased today! Still have the Twenty Mule left over.

You know, in the nitrogen department, I would be interested to see what you suggest. My general plan, with some adjustments for weather, goes like this:
- Generally, I've applied 1-2lbs of N per 1000 in the spring. Usually spread out over a few weeks in Late March/April/May.
- I tend to stop applying N once the heat & humidity arrives in late May - concerned that "More N will spur fungal growth". (I'm not entirely clear if has been proven/disproven.).
- I'll resume N applications after my overseed is finished - typically mid October. I attempt to follow the "Fall N Regimen"- applying 0.5Lb of N/1000 for ~4-5 weeks.