SeanCapeCod's 2019 Soil Test

[SeanCapeCod]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I am a big fan of this site and have been reading as much as I can. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I live near the ocean and have sandy loam soil with pine trees. Some of the grass has been getting yellow tips on it and wonder if its from my low PH? I also have a bit of moss in the grass in some areas.

Lawn size- 4k
Lawn type- Kentucky blue grass mix
Irrigation- Yes (automatic sprinklers)

Thanks,

-Sean

[andy10917]

Welcome, Sean!!

Please make sure to post a Link to this thread into the Soil Test Interpretation Queue, so your thread doesn't get forgotten.

[andy10917]

Please update your profile with the "Lawn Size" and "Experience Level" completed.

[SeanCapeCod]

Profile updated. In terms of experience, I do 4 applications of fertilizer a year, use dimensions for POA (moderately successful/timing off) and have used tenacity before and not hurt my lawn. I have been reading up on around the yard forum for a while now. Hope this information helps!

Thanks,

-Sean

[andy10917]

Structurally, that's a surprisingly good soil for the Cape - a TEC of almost 10 points to a medium Loam, and the OM% at 6.66% is great.

In the cations, Calcium is low and Magnesium is just a hair low. Potassium is very, very low though and only makes up 0.87% of the Base Saturations - that really should be up at 4%-5%. The end result of the cations drives the pH, and that's at 5.8 - pretty low but not an emergency at all. Fix the cations and you fix the pH automatically, almost by definition. Even with the shortages though, the Calcium/Magnesium ratio is a near-perfect 8.5:1 -- awesome.

Get and apply a good calcitic lime (Mag-I-Cal/SoluCal/Encap/Sta-Green) at 9 lbs/K, mixed with 1 lb/K of Epsom Salts. Apply the resulting mix at 10 lbs/K, every 90 days.

For the Potassium (your biggest issue), I look at the Phosphorus number to come up with a joint solution if possible to minimize the number of applications you have to do. In your case, Phosphorus is plentiful, so the Potassium problem is fixed with Sulfate of Potash ("SOP", 0-0-50). It's not the easiest thing to find, unfortunately - and never at big box stores. It is available in the Boston area though. Get it and apply it at 2 lbs/K monthly until October, and start it again in April.

In the micronutrients, Boron and Manganese are short. Get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap at a grocery store for Boron and Manganese Sulfate (*not* Magnesium Sulfate) from Amazon or EBAY. Apply them at 3 tablespoons/K every 60 days as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide article on the site Articles/FAQ area.

For Nitrogen, pick either the standard or Aggressive "Fall Nitrogen Regimen" and do it this Fall. You may want to make a trip to Quincy, MA for a load of Bay State fertilizer for the Spring at some point - it's the best deal on the planet.

BTW, for moss I have found that a few rounds of Dawn dishwashing liquid (diluted) controls moss very well -- but moss will always return if the conditions that allow it aren't corrected. Moss is a bottom-dweller that only occurs when grass isn't thriving. Research "Dawn" and "moss" together on the Search tool to locate the formula for treating moss.

[SeanCapeCod]

Structurally, that's a surprisingly good soil for the Cape - a TEC of almost 10 points to a medium Loam, and the OM% at 6.66% is great.

In the cations, Calcium is low and Magnesium is just a hair low. Potassium is very, very low though and only makes up 0.87% of the Base Saturations - that really should be up at 4%-5%. The end result of the cations drives the pH, and that's at 5.8 - pretty low but not an emergency at all. Fix the cations and you fix the pH automatically, almost by definition. Even with the shortages though, the Calcium/Magnesium ratio is a near-perfect 8.5:1 -- awesome.

Get and apply a good calcitic lime (Mag-I-Cal/SoluCal/Encap/Sta-Green) at 9 lbs/K, mixed with 1 lb/K of Epsom Salts. Apply the resulting mix at 10 lbs/K, every 90 days.

For the Potassium (your biggest issue), I look at the Phosphorus number to come up with a joint solution if possible to minimize the number of applications you have to do. In your case, Phosphorus is plentiful, so the Potassium problem is fixed with Sulfate of Potash ("SOP", 0-0-50). It's not the easiest thing to find, unfortunately - and never at big box stores. It is available in the Boston area though. Get it and apply it at 2 lbs/K monthly until October, and start it again in April.

In the micronutrients, Boron and Manganese are short. Get Twenty Mule Team laundry soap at a grocery store for Boron and Manganese Sulfate (*not* Magnesium Sulfate) from Amazon or EBAY. Apply them at 3 tablespoons/K every 60 days as outlined in the Micronutrient Application Guide article on the site Articles/FAQ area.

For Nitrogen, pick either the standard or Aggressive "Fall Nitrogen Regimen" and do it this Fall. You may want to make a trip to Quincy, MA for a load of Bay State fertilizer for the Spring at some point - it's the best deal on the planet.

BTW, for moss I have found that a few rounds of Dawn dishwashing liquid (diluted) controls moss very well -- but moss will always return if the conditions that allow it aren't corrected. Moss is a bottom-dweller that only occurs when grass isn't thriving. Research "Dawn" and "moss" together on the Search tool to locate the formula for treating moss.

Big thanks Andy!

Sorry for the late response. I was on vacation without my computer.

In terms of my soil I put down some good loam a few years ago. And last year I top dressed with a good compost.

I picked up a bag of SOP on the way back from NH. I got it at Vally Green for $41 Also got a bag of dimensions.

I have an order in for the micro's on eBay so I will drop those when they come in... Making sure to spread them out over time with the other applications..

Lastly I will get a good bag of Cal lime & epson salt and drop that too. Thanks again for all of your advise. I have a lot of homework to do! I will keep you updated on the progress. Thanks again!

-Sean