CVette's 2022 Soil Test

Learn how improving your soil can lead to a better looking lawn
Post Reply
CVette
Posts: 239
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:16 am
Location: Clifton Park - 20mi North of Albany, NY (Zone 5b)
Grass Type: Bewitched Front, Bewitched-NuGlade-Bedazzled Back
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

CVette's 2022 Soil Test

Post by CVette » May 21st, 2022, 10:12 am

Attached is my 2022 Logan Labs soil test alongside my history. TEC dropped but OM jumped - I know they're related but I'm not seeing the trend. In the past I applied lime every other year based on the soil test. In 2021 I applied 4#/k once to try to keep it up. I'll probably apply lime each off year. Please perform a soil analysis and suggest micros, lime and any other actions to be taken. Thank you!
Image

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: CVette's 2022 Soil Test

Post by MorpheusPA » May 21st, 2022, 1:20 pm

Yeah, this is a weird set of tests. When testing, I'm going to recommend increasing the number of testing sites to assure that you're getting a consistent test, the jump in EC is odd.

The trend in OM is good, but as they're burning that off to test it, it won't show in the soil EC. It certainly doesn't in my soil, which is one-eighth organic matter.

I'm going to recommend that you go with 8 pounds of fast calcitic lime, not 4, this year. The shortage is 147 pounds of calcium per acre, which is about 3.5 pounds per thousand, or 9 pounds of calcitic lime. Because of your soil's lower EC, drop that to 8. Next year, let's push that to a "holding" number of 4.

I'm not convinced that the magnesium shortage actually exists, so let's ride it for this test. Even if it did, it's not that severe.

I'm more concerned with the potassium. Potassium sulfate's now available through the Home Depot with free shipping, so that's a great source this year.

While copper is showing just a bit low, I'm going to ignore it because other tests are showing it as OK, fine, in the groove, a little low, and so on. It's not a severe issue. If 2024 is still a little low with more samples, then we might tap it a bit.

Boron went downright deficient and consistently shows low to deficient, which is pretty normal for northeastern soils that get rained on a lot. We use 20 Mule Team Borax from the grocery store to fix that, and consult the Micronutrient Application Guide. I'm giving you a 2-year plan below that works with feeding the lawn, applies boron, and doesn't overdo things. Note the shift from 5 tablespoons in May this year to 3 after that; an initial kick to just a normal boost.

Recommendations:

May 2022: Apply 8 pounds of calcitic lime per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. Apply 5 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

June 2022: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet.

September 2022: Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

October 2022: Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

May 2023: Apply 4 pounds of calcitic lime per thousand square feet. Apply 2 pounds of potassium sulfate per thousand square feet. Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

September 2023: Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

October 2023: Apply 3 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite as per the Micronutrient Application Guide.

CVette
Posts: 239
Joined: August 19th, 2010, 9:16 am
Location: Clifton Park - 20mi North of Albany, NY (Zone 5b)
Grass Type: Bewitched Front, Bewitched-NuGlade-Bedazzled Back
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: CVette's 2022 Soil Test

Post by CVette » May 22nd, 2022, 8:27 pm

Thanks Morpheus, that was super quick!
I added my past amendments below the result from each year to the image below so you can see what impact they had on the following year:
Image

Two follow-up questions:
1) Should I apply any Epsom salts with the lime? I've been using 2#/k every other year since 2016.
2) Is the potassium sulfate from Home Depot the "Sunshine Harvest 40lb box SOP" for $40.98? I've been applying SOP since 2018 and this is half the price than what I've been using from Kelp4Less.

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: CVette's 2022 Soil Test

Post by MorpheusPA » May 23rd, 2022, 3:22 pm

1) You can if you wish. The deficit is there, I'm content if you want to apply Epsom salt, or if you want to skip it.

2) Yep. I switched over to it this year as I needed potassium myself (I was 13 whole pounds per acre short...but prefer a surplus). I actually ordered extra as I figure I'll use it anyway.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests