71GTO 2022 soil test

[71GTO]

I'm starting up year six, I have about 13k of Nomix lawn. Last year, was the same as before it was tough to get potassium and follow all the recommendations, but I got some down. I'm guessing I'll need it again and I should just buy as mush as I can when its available... Also, in regard to my soil tests. I combined the front and back yard test this year as advised and I did the deadzone totally separate again (the is a corner of the back yard that has sort of been a dead zone Maybe 100 sq ft). I added a few treatments of lime and I did spread a little compost around since the soil in that spot really seems to be similar to what you fine in the pine barrens.

Prior years posts
2021

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26445&p=345640&hilit=71gto#p345640

[MorpheusPA]

I can see why you call the corner the "dead zone," I looked at the soil read before I read your note and thought, "Grass grows there?"

These are two separate soils, pretty much unrelated to each other, so it's a split read. That's no problem.

Overall, the "Yard" looks pretty good. There's some applications remaining, then some tweaking, then it's stable for a while. The corner needs work.

Organic Matter--is surprisingly from Good to Excellent in both areas. Keep up the great work.

Phosphorus is great in the Yard, but about half what it should be in the Corner. For the Corner, I'm going to recommend a supply of 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 or other balanced fertilizer (anything where all three numbers are the same or close to each other). We're going to use that this year and hang the grass for a while; if it's a dead zone, let's not worry too much for 2022. And we can use this three times in the yard at the right times and save some money on potassium sulfate--it'll kick the P again in the Yard, but not so high that it'll be a problem, and finding 20-0-20 is almost impossible.

This is an unusual recommendation in that I'm not worried about the speed for part of the change here and I'm trying to keep this fairly simple. We're actually going to use two types of lime.

Go buy a very good bag of fast calcitic lime, the type we talk about--Mag-i-cal, or the like, where the recommendation is 9 pounds of calcitic lime per thousand square feet or less. This is for the corner only; you won't need it anywhere else. You need 1 bag only for that 100 square feet, and if you have a leftover bag, that's more than enough; you really only require (for 100 square feet), about 3 pounds.

Also buy cheap dolomitic finely ground limestone ($4-$7 per bag, 40 lbs, usually). This should list both calcium and magnesium on the bag (about 35% calcium, 10% magnesium, but it's going to vary a lot, and that's fine). You're going to need this on both the Lawn and Corner, and you'll need more of it--a grand total of 150 pounds. This stuff is not very fast or effective.

Potassium: -22 PPA Yard, -65 PPA Corner: Not that significant in the yard, moreso in the Corner. I tend to be a bit of a potassium hound and credit my higher K levels with good winter color and my almost complete lack of diseases on an elite KBG and almost completely-ignored lawn. That's why I recommended the balanced fertilizer above. Three shots of this (1 pound of K per application) will balance out the Yard nicely and put the Corner in spitting distance, and it's cheaper than potassium sulfate.
Those feeding dates are pretty rock solid for a reason.

Your minor elements...I'm tabling copper for this year. Let's worry about boron. You did it last year, you know the deal, and it's in the Micronutrient Applications Guide. You'll notice I crowded those in right with a September feeding; that's fine.

Recommendations:

April: Apply 10 pounds per thousand square feet of dolomitic limestone to the entire property (about 150 pounds total). Apply 10 pounds per thousand equivalent (about 1 pound) of fast calcitic lime to the 100 square foot dead zone corner (along with the dolomitic, this is fine).

May 1: Apply 5 tbsp 20 Mule Team borax per thousand square feet using Milo carrier.

Memorial Day: Feed with balanced fertilizer at bag rate (or 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand square foot rate; ask if unsure).

September 1: Apply 5 tbsp 20 Mule Team borax per thousand square feet using Milo carrier.

Labor Day: Feed with balanced fertilizer at bag rate (or 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand square foot rate; ask if unsure).

October 1: Feed with balanced fertilizer at bag rate (or 1 pound of nitrogen per thousand square foot rate; ask if unsure).

October 10-15: Apply 5 tbsp 20 Mule Team borax per thousand square feet using Milo carrier.

[71GTO]

Thank you Morpheus. I think I can manage this. Hopefully I can find some dolomitic lime. I do buy the dr soil lime for my fig trees. Dolomitic is preferred, but usually the box stores have calcitic.

[MorpheusPA]

If you can't find dolomitic lime, that's not going to be a problem--let me know and I have an alternate recommendation that's probably just as easy and I know you can get ahold of.

[71GTO]

Good news, I found Dolomitic Lime.