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west9491

help with soil test results

18 years ago

i finally got my soil test back, i sent this one off in kentucky this time, and i wish i would sent it in tennessee, it was more thorough, but anyways i have lots of questions bout my soil test, i would like to post the results, tell me what you think, and i have a couple more questions below the results...

(begin test)

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P = 9 (low)

K = 227 (medium)

pH = 4.8

buffer pH = 5.8

Ca = 1556

Mg = 252 (high)

Zn = 1.2

Calculated CEC 13

%BS 35

%K: 2

%Ca 26

%H: 65

%Mg: 7

Recommendations

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N: 1 to 1.5 lbs./1000 sq. ft.

P2O5: 3 to 5 lbs./1000 sq. ft.

K2O: 1 to 2 lbs/1000 sq. ft.

Lime: 220 lbs bagged lime/ 1000 sq. ft.

Zinc: none

Mg: none

- Apply 25 lbs of 5-20-20 per 1000 sq. ft. along with 220 lbs of lime per 1000 sq. ft.

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(end test)

so where's my nitrogen reading?

How am i high on Mg?

how much organic matter do i have?

Comments (17)

  • 18 years ago

    Nitrogen is rarely, if ever, tested and reported.

  • 18 years ago

    Nitrogen, because its availability is very dependant on soil temperature, is no longer tested by most labs. If they did what they found would mean little, if a sample was taken from soil sampled in March, in June becasue of the difference in soil temperature. Your soils Ca to Mg ratio is unbalanced because your soil has low Calcium reserves and that is why you need to apply 220 pounds of Calcitic lime per 1,000 square feet, and is also why you soils pH is so low.
    What is the soil humus level? How much organic matter is in that soil? For whatever reason these labs no longer test that so you need to and these simple soil test will help you determine that;
    1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

    2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

    3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

    4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

    5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

  • 18 years ago

    From the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Quality  Agronomy Technical Note No. 11:

    "Many people consider earthworms to be an indicator of soil quality because they respond to and contribute to healthy soil. For earthworms to be abundant, a field must meet several conditions that are also associated with soil quality and agricultural sustainability: moderate pH, surface residue for food and protection, and soil that is not waterlogged, compacted, droughty, or excessively sandy. Not all healthy soils will have earthworms."

    Lloyd

  • 18 years ago

    Like others have said, nitrogen isn't always tested. The 1.5 per 1000 sq. ft. would be more of a pre-plant application to help new plants get established. 1 lb. per 1000 sq. ft. would be more to maintain color and avoid excess vegetative growth for existing plants. The 5-20-20 they mention at the given rate supplies you with 1.25 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. which should be okay for either situation. Magnesium is naturally in the soil. High does not necessarily mean excessive.
    The low calcium to magnesium comment above came out of left field. your exchangeable Ca to Mg ratio is greater than 6:1. There is an ample supply of calcium, both for nutritional purposes and to balance magnesium. The recommendation for lime had nothing to do with Ca to Mg ratio. It is for pH adjustment. Lime is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is the carbonate (CO3) that increases pH. The pH tells you (very roughly) the concentration of active hydrogen in the soil solution. The carbonate ties up hydrogen by forming H2C03 while the calcium sits around smoking cigarettes and talking on the phone.
    I wouldn't sweat the potassium to magnesium either, especially if you're adding some potassium. When adding lime, it's best to till it into the soil. The finer the liming material, the faster it will work.
    As far as organic matter, if you didn't have it tested, you you have no way of really knowing.
    From your post, it sounds like you have more questions than the ones you posted below your results. Sadly, you didn't actually ask them, which makes answering them a bit tricky. ;)

  • 18 years ago

    Oops, I really should read through this stuff before posting. I threw in an extra hydrogen and got carbonic acid all over my post. I meant HCO3 (bicarbonate).
    (Incidentally, a small amount of carbonic acid is formed but it doesn't give up it's hydrogen easily in solution, which makes it a very weak acid. But I didn't mean to say it. I just had H2CO3 on the brain from a conversation yesterday)

  • 18 years ago

    well see this test is a lot different than the one i got in tennessee last year which told me the organic matter levels and everything, it was all charted out, blah blah...so i was kinda stumped when i got this test.

    so how did the dude @ the extension office know to tell me that i was low on N?
    he also said that if i add ammonium nitrate, it should bring the ph down a lil. but i also read somewhere that when you add organic ferts they can bring the ph down too, is that right?
    and what would be the best replacement for the 5-20-20 as far as organic matter is concerned?

  • 18 years ago

    Yeah, different places, different tests, different presentation.
    I'm not sure why he would say you were low on nitrogen. If they measured nitrogen but didn't report it, that might be why. More likely, nitrogen is very transient and they didn't measure it, and he was just assuming.
    Ammonium nitrate, if used to provide nitrogen in the regular maintenance over a long period of time can adjust pH downward.
    Two things wrong with that statement.
    First, since the Oklahoma City bombing, ammonium nitrate is a bit tough to come by. Maybe he meant ammonium sulfate, which is also an acidifying nitrogen source (as is urea).
    The second problem is that you're trying to get your pH to go up, not down.
    When you say organic matter replacement for 5-20-20, do you mean organic matter as in what type of compost to use, or do you mean an organic fertilizer?

  • 18 years ago

    lol, there's this reeeeeaallllly old store down the road...i'm talkn early 1900's general store...you can get ammonium nitrate there easily, i remember my father in law talkn bout it, he gets stuff on credit there....just write his name down on a piece of paper, haha.

    do you mean organic matter as in what type of compost to use, or do you mean an organic fertilizer?

    um not sure, so answer both, lol

    in the organic forum they said the best all purpose lawn fert was soybean meal.

  • 18 years ago

    If you just want to use an organic fertilizer, there a tons and tons and tons of options. You can look through a list of OMRI certified products at this location. It's a PDF so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't already have it.
    One option to get you close enough to the original recommendation is Bull Enterprise 3-8-8 at 50 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. Soybean meal would be a little heavy on the nitrogen for your purposes.
    If you want to use a compost, nutrient values can vary by surprising amounts depending on what it's made from and how it was treated. Green waste composts tend to be a pretty big source of potassium, less phosphorus and even less nitrogen. Cow and horse manure tend to be higher on phosphorus and potassium but also sodium. Poultry manures are higher in nitrogen. Those are some general things to consider but again, nutrient values vary dramatically even from one cow manure compost to the other (same goes for all types). You can either have your chosen compost tested or you can just pick one, use it and adjust as necessary.

  • 18 years ago

    i can't find this bull enterprise stuff on the net anywhere, can you give link, or list an easier accessible alternative?

  • 18 years ago

    I thought the Potassium was ok. I would have thought that bone meal would get him going in the right direction and still be organic. The bone meal I bought has an analysis of 6-12-2. Also add some rock Phosphate to serve as a slow release form of Phosphorus.

    I would suggest some lime for short term remediation of the pH, and coarse ground limestone or some other slow release source of Calcium. Otherwise, just add some compost.

  • 18 years ago

    Your right, idaho gardener. The potassium level's not bad. I wouldn't balk at adding potassium though to provide some reserve of that nutrient going into spring. Blood meal and rock phosphate would work just fine. You just might want to add a little potassium in late spring or early summer if you go that route.
    If you lime (and you should, west9491) that will add calcium and a second source won't be necessary. (and limestone actually is lime) In fact, you really don't need to calcium at all in this case. As stated above, calcium is sufficient both for plant nutrition and to balance magnesium. The lime is needed only for pH adjustment but the calcium won't hurt.

  • 18 years ago

    To answer one other thing. As I was saying earlier, there are lots of options to get the nutrients you want. the Bull Enterprises 3-8-8 was just a product I saw on the OMRI list that was certified organic and an easy match to get close to the recommended rates. Whatever product or combination of products you choose to go with, you'll have to do a little research to find a source.
    And don't worry too much about matching the recommendation precisely. Remember, you have thousands of pounds of soil represented by the 1 or 2 pounds you submitted to the lab. Those results and recommendations aren't the gospel. They're just a general guide. Don't sweat it too much. Just get something that's kind of close and you can make adjustments as you go along.

  • 18 years ago

    squonnk, i know there's calcitic and dolomitic lime...i want to use calcitic right?

    thanks for all answers by the way.

  • 18 years ago

    Glad to help. And yes, calcitic would be the one.

  • 18 years ago

    what a bout usings bone meal and alfalfa meal on my lawn, does that sound like a good idea?

  • 18 years ago

    Simply as a matter of course the horticulturists at the CES offices will tell you to add between 1 and 2 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, because that is what someone at either the University has determined is needed or maybe, possibly experience has shown needs to be done, sometimes, as the Extension Horticulturist here has told me. As a general rule that can be ignored.