Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
Post Reply
Suit
Posts: 7
Joined: May 31st, 2015, 6:04 pm
Location: Hollywood, MD
Grass Type: TTTF/ KBG
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Some Experience

Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Post by Suit » July 2nd, 2021, 8:22 pm

Hello,

First time submitting a soil test. Two tests here, one for the front yard and one for the side. The side yard abuts a forest with a lot of pine and is shaded heavily in the winter - it has not had nearly the attention the front has had.

Lawn size: 10k sqft front, about 2.5k sqft side. The entire property is sloped, the front more so than the sides.

Grass type: Some KBG, mostly TTTF - several kinds of both.

Mowing/Irrigation: Installed sprinklers. I travel a lot for my job, so I have a service that cuts about once per week in the summer months. I ask them to mow it on the highest setting, and often they do.

Goals: I won't have time to make this a "great" lawn any time soon thanks to my frequent traveling, but I can at least get it closer to "good".

Thanks! - Suit


Image

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Post by andy10917 » July 2nd, 2021, 10:47 pm

Make sure to post a Link into the Soil Test Interpretation Queue so your thread doesn't get lost

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Post by andy10917 » July 13th, 2021, 9:19 pm

Alright, let's start with the Front. It's not terrible, but it needs work everywhere except for the Calcium - which is what makes the pH hold at a respectable 6.3. It has a mediocre OM fraction, but the TEC is setting the bar very low - so the shortages are larger than they appear. Since the Calcium is OK with the low bar, and we need to start somewhere, we'll start with a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10, 19-19-19, etc. Select one and post the NPK for rates and frequency.

The Iron is actually OK, and will be available at your pH. Retest next Spring and let's see if it gets us moving.

The Side is a different story. It's what I call a collapsed soil. There are low levels of everything and very little to keep them in your soil. You'll just have to keep pouring om sources of OM and nutrients to get something to stick. Use the same fertilizer as the Front, but also apply good calcitic lime at 9 lbs/K every 90 days also.

Let's see what we can do to get the party going...

Suit
Posts: 7
Joined: May 31st, 2015, 6:04 pm
Location: Hollywood, MD
Grass Type: TTTF/ KBG
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Post by Suit » July 25th, 2021, 4:29 pm

Can do, thanks!

WRT rates/ freqs - I'll be using the 10-10-10 stuff.

User avatar
andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Suit's Soil Test MD 2021

Post by andy10917 » July 25th, 2021, 9:00 pm

10-10-10 is applied at 10 lbs/K, monthly except July 1 - August 15th

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests