Posting this year's soil test below. Last year due to work and family commitments I was unable to get a soil test but this growing season I am re-dedicating myself to lawn care and would appreciate the excellent advice from this forum. My lawn is about 5,300 square feet and is a classic tri-mix (KBG, PR and fine fescue). It is getting more use than ever as I have young kids with neighborhood friends who are using it constantly so there are definitely bare patches and trampled areas so my main goal is to get the grass as healthy as possible to withstand this type of usage. I'm probably in for a PR overseed this August.
Hmmm I'm totally blanking on how I get the snipped Jpeg of the test results into this message...can someone advise?
2022 Soil Test CPascal
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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: 2022 Soil Test CPascal
That worked.
Things are out of target, but not so far that it's a major problem. It's kind of mid-range. Your lawn is probably not performing as well as it could, but it's also not undergoing huge struggles at this point.
Iron's kind of low, so I'm going to recommend either Milorganite or Bay State (if that's available this year?) for feeding if you want to. It's not critically low or anything, the plants have no trouble with it, it's just not high enough to produce the best color.
I'm using 5,500 square feet as a standard for ease of math. Here's your shopping list:
Shopping List
Calcitic Lime: Encap, Mag-I-Cal, one of the good calcitic limes. They're not cheap, but they are fast. We use these for speed except when there are other considerations, which there aren't here. You're going to need about 80 pounds.
Epsom salt: From the drug store, the fertilizer aisle (where it's cheaper), or the grocery store, it's all magnesium sulfate. You'll need 20 pounds.
Potassium sulfate: I got mine at Home Depot, who delivered it for me. Landscape stores may order this for you, or you can find it online. It is not, regrettably, cheap this year. You're going to need 20 pounds (25 pounds is the normal size available).
Your boron is low. Read the Micronutrient Application Guide and see if you're comfortable applying boron that way--boron can be touchy. If you are, I've included the instructions below, it really will help out here as you're very low.
(Milorganite for the application of boron and 20 Mule Team Borax from the grocery store for a boron source)
Directions:
May: Apply 9 pounds per thousand calcitic lime per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet Epsom salt. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate.
Later in May: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.
August: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.
September: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet Epsom salt. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate.
Early October, well before ground freeze: Apply 6 (note the change from May!) pounds of calcitic lime per thousand square feet.
Things are out of target, but not so far that it's a major problem. It's kind of mid-range. Your lawn is probably not performing as well as it could, but it's also not undergoing huge struggles at this point.
Iron's kind of low, so I'm going to recommend either Milorganite or Bay State (if that's available this year?) for feeding if you want to. It's not critically low or anything, the plants have no trouble with it, it's just not high enough to produce the best color.
I'm using 5,500 square feet as a standard for ease of math. Here's your shopping list:
Shopping List
Calcitic Lime: Encap, Mag-I-Cal, one of the good calcitic limes. They're not cheap, but they are fast. We use these for speed except when there are other considerations, which there aren't here. You're going to need about 80 pounds.
Epsom salt: From the drug store, the fertilizer aisle (where it's cheaper), or the grocery store, it's all magnesium sulfate. You'll need 20 pounds.
Potassium sulfate: I got mine at Home Depot, who delivered it for me. Landscape stores may order this for you, or you can find it online. It is not, regrettably, cheap this year. You're going to need 20 pounds (25 pounds is the normal size available).
Your boron is low. Read the Micronutrient Application Guide and see if you're comfortable applying boron that way--boron can be touchy. If you are, I've included the instructions below, it really will help out here as you're very low.
(Milorganite for the application of boron and 20 Mule Team Borax from the grocery store for a boron source)
Directions:
May: Apply 9 pounds per thousand calcitic lime per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet Epsom salt. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate.
Later in May: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.
August: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.
September: Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier as per the Micronutrient Application Guide. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet Epsom salt. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate.
Early October, well before ground freeze: Apply 6 (note the change from May!) pounds of calcitic lime per thousand square feet.
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CPascal
- Posts: 121
- Joined: June 4th, 2012, 1:06 pm
- Location: Milton, MA
- Grass Type: Back: 65% KBG (Bedazzled, NuDestiny, Rhapsody),20% PRG, 15% Firefly Hard Fescue. Front: Double Eagle Perennial Rye Shaded areas: Mix of fine fescues and Bewitched KBG
- Lawn Size: 5000-10000
- Level: Experienced
Re: 2022 Soil Test CPascal
Thank you for the thorough response!
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25828&p=343591#p343591
The lawn is definitely not coming to life like it used to though I am guilty of not applying the end of the season urea app after top growth stopped last year. Here is my test from two years ago for context which I think shows a slightly better profile.Your lawn is probably not performing as well as it could, but it's also not undergoing huge struggles at this point.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25828&p=343591#p343591
Do I need to stagger the applications of the different products (e.g. not apply all three at the same time)?May: Apply 9 pounds per thousand calcitic lime per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet Epsom salt. Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate.
-
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: 2022 Soil Test CPascal
It's really not horrible. 
Where I listed three together, it's actually OK to apply all three at the same time. When something has to be separated, I'll always be very careful to indicate that and separate them by greater than the recommended period.
In this case, almost everything I'm applying is neutral to alkaline, or where the acid-alkaline to salt reaction just doesn't matter, so I haven't separated anything.
Where I listed three together, it's actually OK to apply all three at the same time. When something has to be separated, I'll always be very careful to indicate that and separate them by greater than the recommended period.
In this case, almost everything I'm applying is neutral to alkaline, or where the acid-alkaline to salt reaction just doesn't matter, so I haven't separated anything.
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