Gsdramsey Soil Test Results: 2022

[GsdRamsey]

This is my first soil test done on my lawn (15,000 sq.ft). I’ve over seeded my lawn with KBG and Perennial Rye grass. I have in-ground sprinklers, only the front yard (5,000sqFt.) gets watered regularly. The summer months I water the backyard one inch per week. I cut my lawn every five to six days and I keep it at 3 1/2”. The clippings are mulch all year and in fall leaves too.

[MorpheusPA]

First read, huh? You fight with this lawn, don't you? And it bothers you. Good news, we can fix that. And you'll see the first changes by June--although it'll take some time before everything turns around as this is not a fast process.

You have plenty of three things--phosphorus, which you need, organic matter, which holds water and soil structure, and aluminum, which is a poison. And the aluminum is getting real close to being available to the plants and killing them. We can fix that.

What you don't have is calcium, magnesium, potassium, or boron. So we're going to add them.

Your Shopping List

Calcitic Fast Lime: Mag-I-Cal or the like. You're looking for something where the application rate is 2 to 9 pounds per thousand square feet, there's low to no available magnesium, and it ain't cheap. I'm OK with Sta-Green and Pennington if you must, but really, I do prefer the Mag-I-Cal. Get enough to apply 9 pounds per thousand square feet to your entire lawn twice if you can (at least once as you'll do this in April).

Potassium sulfate. Order it online, or landscape stores will order it for you. This will not be cheap, I'm afraid, and you're going to need fifty pounds.

Hand-held spreader: Optional. To apply the Epsom salt and potassium sulfate.

Epsom salt: Common, old-fashioned Epsom salt, magnesium sulfate. Larger bags are often available in the fertilizer section of the stores, but if you have to, you can get it in the bath or first aid section of many CVS, Rite Aid, or whatever drug store you have (it's more expensive there). This is our magnesium source.

Milorganite--Most stores have this, it's for application of the micronutrients. Your Epsom salt can probably go with this, although I might buy a hand-held spreader to apply that.

20 Mule Team Borax: In the blue and white box nowadays at the grocery store in the laundry aisle. You won't use much, but you can use the remainder in your laundry instead of bleach (it works with colors, too, and even with home-dyed things--I use it myself). This is our boron source.

Your Plan

April: Apply the Calcitic lime at 9 pounds per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 5 tablespoons per thousand square feet 20 Mule Team Borax in Miloranite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide. Apply 1 pound per thousand Epsom salt.

June 1: NOTE--NO LIMING NOW! Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 5 tablespoons per thousand square feet 20 Mule Team Borax in Miloranite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide. Irrigate this one in and count it as your spring feeding. Apply 1 pound per thousand Epsom salt.

September: Apply the Calcitic lime at 9 pounds per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. Apply 5 tablespoons per thousand square feet 20 Mule Team Borax in Miloranite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide. Apply 1 pound per thousand Epsom salt.

[GsdRamsey]

First, thanks Morph for analyzing and for laying out the plan to get my soil back to health for growing grass.

It took me time to digest all that you wrote and to source my supplies. I was somewhat shock at my pH. and wonder the cause of it. I’ve been mulching all the leaves in the fall for six years now. I have a large Oak in the backyard and two Maple trees in the front, along with my six neighboring houses leaves since everything blows my way. My research shows Oak leaves are acidic (4.5-4.7), but when decomposed they are more neutral. Is this true?

On your lists of supplies, your preference for Calcitic Lime was Mag-I-Cal. I only have one store in my area and it was quite expensive; especially when I need 135 lbs of it per application. The Grass Factor on YouTube did a lab test on it and found it just to be ordinary. Was he testing for the wrong things? My local supplier stocks 50lb. bag of Solu-Cal ($16). He has 32 lbs bags of Milorganite ($13)…great price! I only could fit 3 bags of the Solu-Cal in my car, along with the Milorganite and Potash. If you perfer the Sta-Green or Pennington calcitic lime over Solu-Cal, I can get them at the big box stores.

Questions:
1. I have for applying the Borax (5tbl./1000)and the Epsom Salt (1 lb/1,000). Can I mix them together in water and spray it? I will also pick up a handheld spreader and give that a try.
2. I’ve started applying N-Ext Rgs and Humic12 last year. Should I continue?

I had the best results from my fall nitrogen bliss this spring. I have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood, along with my share of Poa. The ground didn’t freeze till late December. And each time it rained after each application. I’m glad I stocked up on Urea last year, my supplier said Urea is $45 for 50 lbs. last year I got it for $23.

This was taken two week ago.

[MorpheusPA]

The Grass Factor is testing for the wrong things. It's ordinary limestone...bound to humic acid. Frankly, if whatever you get is bound to humic acid, I'm fine with that, and used one myself (my gardens just came back at a pH of 5.2) that was, in part, similarly bound as I chose a slightly off-the-wall method of adjustment that's not something I would normally recommend.

I'm fine with Solu-Cal, and strongly encourage continuing to mulch the oak leaves. Every leaf is acidic, but that fades as the things rot.

Your grass actually looks surprisingly good for the pH (just like my gardens looked surprisingly good for being over a point low).

1) The short answer is "No." Mix it with Milo or risk some rather severe consequences. With the Epsom salt particularly, it gets rather caustic at that rate.
2) You certainly can, although Andy has recommendations on humic acids that you may wish to research here. I do humics the long way around by dumping organic matter.

[GsdRamsey]

Applied the last chemical on my list (Epsom Salt) for the month of April today. Rain in the forecast tonight.
Tomorrow I'll pick up the Potash, Milo & Lime (Sept only) for June and September.

[GsdRamsey]

Update… Morph, you were right about seeing some changes by June!
There are subtle changes in certain areas of my lawn I would only notice, but overall the lawn has improved with the plan you laid out…thanks!
Looking forward for June 1st application.

[MorpheusPA]

That's actually rather obvious from the previous photos, which showed evidence of weak patches. These don't.

I do see evidence of a touch of chlorosis (I'm also incredibly sensitive to colors). That should fade as the lime works its way in through late spring and summer. It's going to rear up again with the next lime app, but doesn't do any harm and it's only temporary.

You can jump the gun a little and do the June app any time now if you want. We're close enough.

[GsdRamsey]

It was a great spring, but one brutal summer for my lawn. It hardly rained and when the rain was in the forecast, it was spotty. The sun was also scorching hot this year. Didn’t plan on overseeing this year due to price of seeds and materials. I’m glad I stocked up on urea last year for this fall. The price for a 50 Lb. bag has doubled! I started steady watering back in mid August to save what survived the heat. Morph, still noticing a big difference from previous years…thanks! I’m planing to plant plugs (from sod) to repair some areas.
Over the weekend I did my September application with rain in the forecast. I did the front on Saturday (5,000sqft). On Sunday, I watered the front lawn because it didn’t rain. I finished spreading that backyard (10,000sq ft) on Monday. Today, it’s been raining steadily for the last ten hours and predicting more rain through the night…ugh!