REPPEND's 2023 Soil Test

[reppend]

The lowdown:

I've recently moved to a new lawn (with a house on it). This will be my first soil test at the new digs. There will be a complete renovation in the next year or so, probably to a Blueberry monostand, as I had at the last lawn.

• On what I consider a high maintenance level

• Irrigation via inground system, deep and infrequent roughly 1" per week +/- 10% - 15% depending on conditions

• My mission remains the same this year: keep the soil in a state that will give my lawn the best conditions possible to thrive! Simple, time/cost and/or cutting corners is not my usual MO when it comes to the soil.

As always, all of your advice and expertise is greatly appreciated!!!

[andy10917]

The people that owned the lawn-with-a-house before you weren't lawnatics, were they?

The soil has OK bones, but hasn't seen a bag of fertilizer in a long time. What does that mean? It means that it's a slightly heavy soil with a lot of silt, and very good OM% numbers. You don't need to listen to my rant about "build the OM".

The pH is just a tad above the perfect-zone, and is being pushed by the Magnesium (not Calcium). We may decide to deal with next year, but this year you need to concentrate on the stuff that is in the basement numbers. That is the Phosphorus and Potassium - they're at very low numbers. Normally I recommend balanced fertilizer in that scenario, but I know you take this stuff seriously. Therefore, I'd like to ask you whether to go with balanced fertilizer or go with a SOP, MAP and Urea solution.

The OM% is great.

The Iron is low - you need to apply 2-3 lbs/K of Ferrous Sulfate every 60 days.

In the micro's, it's only Boron that needs work. Get it at the grocery store as Twenty Mule Team laundry soap and apply at 4 tablespoons/K as described in the Micronutrient Application Guide. Repeat every 60 days.

I'll wait for your selection of Phosphorus/Potassium regimen, and follow-up.

[reppend]

The people that owned the lawn-with-a-house before you weren't lawnatics, were they?

Don't get me started.

I know you take this stuff seriously. Therefore, I'd like to ask you whether to go with balanced fertilizer or go with a SOP, MAP and Urea solution.

I'm all in. Let's do this the right way even if it means more time, work, money, etc. Sounds like the SOP, MAP, Urea route is what we're going with.

The Iron is low - you need to apply 2-3 lbs/K of Ferrous Sulfate every 60 days.

In the micro's, it's only Boron that needs work. Get it at the grocery store as Twenty Mule Team laundry soap and apply at 4 tablespoons/K as described in the Micronutrient Application Guide. Repeat every 60 days.

Done and Done

I'll wait for your selection of Phosphorus/Potassium regimen, and follow-up.

Thanks as always, Andy! Great to hear from you all, and looking forward to whipping this soil into tip-top shape!

[andy10917]

OK. 2 lbs/K of SOP, 2 lbs/K of MOP and 1.75 lbs/K of Urea every month. No Urea in July or August.