Post
by MorpheusPA » March 16th, 2024, 1:37 pm
Hello, calcium soil. From last year, your OM is doing exactly what I expect--not that much. It takes a while for the stuff to work down, so continue onward with applying OM. And yes, there's a distinct front/back difference, which is fairly normal for a slope. We can fix that. Try to apply things when gentler rainfalls are expected, not before a deluge, which will tend to wash off more than it washes in, or irrigate immediately after applications in back (time it with any watering you do). That will help.
I'm not precisely pleased with phosphorus either front or back; front is MUCH better, but still low given the binding calcium, which renders phosphorus harder to access. Back is closer to "abysmal," and definitely costing you lawn quality. Consequently, I'm going to continue onward with the balanced fertilizers from last year, so 20-20-20 if you sourced that, 10-10-10, whatever. If you want to use Milo with it, great. Soybean meal, perfect. Cottonseed meal, have at. Peat, compost, leaves, absolutely (although these do not measurably feed the lawn).
Potassium is kind of low-ish on both, but nothing particularly severe (it looks far worse than it is). I wouldn't mind adding some, hence the balanced fertilizer.
Boron went down, which can happen in a rainy year, or just because it got used. Let's try that again. Copper's a tad low in the back, but not severe enough for me to bother with it unless you're complaining about disease issues.
Iron's extremely low, but at that pH, there's no reason to bother. It won't be available anyway.
I don't know your climate well enough to know when the grass starts to or stops growing, so I kind of winged the feeding schedule. You know it better than I do. I'm sure it starts by May; my previous supervisor was usually complaining of the heat by then!
Recommendations:
April: Apply 4 tablespoons/K 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier, as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide. If the lawn started to grow, feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
May: Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
June: Apply 4 tablespoons/K 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier, as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide. Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
July: Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
August: Apply 4 tablespoons/K 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier, as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide. Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
September, if the lawn is still in active growth: Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
October, if the lawn is still in active growth: Feed with any balanced fertilizer at the 1-pound of nitrogen per thousand square feet rate.
