Soil Test Results!

14 years ago

Hey guys/gals! I got my soil tests back from Logan (in 2 days, way to go Logan). Instead of getting a few of your emails and just making private discussions, I thought I would post my (bad) results up here. That way people can see my results and learn from them. So here they are! More opinions on how to correct the merrier!

Sections...........................Front East......Front West.........Backyard

Total Exchange Capacity..19.86............18.79.................22.46

pH of Soil Sample.............7.00..............7.30.................7.70

Organic Matter, %.............8.07............. 6.34.................4.69

Anions:

Sulfur ppm.........................51..................52.....................47

Mehlich III Phosphorus.....341................251...................221

Exchangeable Cations:

Calcium lbs/acre Desired.5402..............5110.................6110

.......................... Found...5050..............5007.................6254

...........................Deficit..-352...............-103

Magnesium ........Desired..572................541..................646

...........................Found....1105..............957..................1079

...........................Deficit

Potassium...........Desired..619...............586...................700

...........................Found.....600..............464...................518

...........................Deficit.....-19.............-122................-182

Sodium..............................455...............424..................386

Base Saturation %

Calcium (60-70%).............63.57............66.62................69.60

Magnesium (10-20%).......23.18............21.22.................20.01

Potassium (2-5%).............3.87..............3.17..................2.96

Sodium (.5-3%)................4.98...............4.91..................3.74

Other Bases (Variable)......4.40...............4.10..................3.70

Trace Elements

Boron ppm......................0.8..................0.85.................0.77

Iron ppm.........................85...................89....................51

Manganese ppm..............64...................51....................62

Copper ppm...................0.98.................1.27.................0.92

Zinc ppm........................9.11.................8.23.................3.54

Aluminum ppm...............298.................337...................270

I'm not at all shocked about the results. Backyard sucks. It's rock hard and lacking in most things. But I would love opinions on how to correct the soil to make it more favorable to my fescue/some bermuda lawn. Your guys' expertise is what I need! Thanks in advance! -Josh

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Comments (6)

JHazzardB
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm just gonna keep posting. I was reading around finding info on proper Calcium to Magnesium levels. I've found that Calcium should be higher in ratio to Magnesium. Googling led me to a paragraph-

"High magnesium soils can prove to be a challenge if crop rotation, manure additions and timely tillage operations are not followed. Moderate rates of K applications are needed when potash is low to medium. Additions of gypsum are proclaimed to loosen the soil; however this is only part of the solution. The additions of organic matter to provide the necessary biological activity to promote strong soil aggregate stability is if more importance. "

This fits with my low organic matter, and high magnesium.

However, I feel the reduction of Magnesium in the lawn would be tough to tackle. Boosting Calcium would probably be easier but I worry about over shooting.
JHazzardB
Original Author
14 years ago
Also, http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0118215511621.html
has a great discussion on soil amendments. Will post later with my thoughts. It takes me a while to get everything straight.
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andy10917
14 years ago
I don't do soil test analysis on this site any more (too many trolls), but I'll give you this much - you want your Ca:Mg ratio between 7:1 and 10:1. Logan's results for "desired levels" target the perfect 8.5:1 number at that TEC. That's great.

If no one gets you an interpretation, google my user name and you'll find sites where I do a lot of soil test interpretations.
JHazzardB
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Andy! I've deduced that Logan has tried to give a desired 8.5:1 ratio. That part I'm trying to figure out is- high magnesium in the top part of the soil I've read will retain more h2o in the top levels. That would prevent water from going below. High magnesium will also make the soil extremely hard (which I can accept as my yard is harder than my wood floor with 1.5" of rain).
I'm trying to figure out whether I need to boost my Calcium levels to make my Ca:Mg (sp) ratio closer to 8.5:1 or lower the Magnesium (which I believe will just decrease over time because it's water soluble).

Anywho, thanks for the response and don't worry about responding. Thanks for your input!
texas_weed
14 years ago
This fits with my low organic matter...

Huh? Low Organic Matter? Gardner's and Farmers would kill for your results. Anything above 3% is high for turf soil. Gardeners dream for 5 to 6%.

The only thing I see of concern is the PH is slightly high, and Potassium is slightly low and easily corrected with using the right type of fertilizer.
dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
If I'm reading Andy and your test right, you have roughly twice as much magnesium as would be ideal. And the high magnesium would make the soil hard. In fact high mag is why most people think they have clay when they might not have any real clay at all.

Andy can give you valuable help with all the trace elements after you track him down.