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dave_harmon65

Astro's Soil Test

10 years ago

New house near Charlotte, NC - 2,500 Sq Ft - Tall Fescue - Sprinkler System. Thanks for your input!!

Comments (2)

  • 10 years ago

    Overall, it's not bad at all for an initial test and correction!

    Exchange Capacity 5.3: Sandy soil. I'd test once a year if your goal is perfection, every other year for very good, every third year for good.

    pH 7.5: A little high, but certainly not a barrier to a gorgeous lawn. Over time, I think this is going to drift down by itself a bit as the excess calcium and magnesium leach out.

    Organic Matter 1.2%: Deep in the Poor range, but that's normal for new construction. Always mulch mow, mow all the leaves you can get (including stolen ones from neighbors), and consider feeding organically.

    Sulfur 25: A completely normal answer with plenty of margin. We actually don't need that much margin.

    Phosphorus 47: Very low. Target here would be about 250-270 due to your higher pH. We use starter fertilizer, the cheapest you can get, to correct this. The recommendations below are tuned for a fine fescue lawn.

    Calcium 73.1%: A bit high, but certainly not a problem. It just gives you a slightly higher than normal pH. I'm hopeful that this will drift down a bit over time.

    Magnesium 17.4%: Ditto. Not a problem, but it may make your soil a little tight and hard to dig overall. This may drift down, but if not, we live with it.

    Potassium 2.9%: Although this looks OK, it's actually a little short and I'd like to nudge it along. We use potassium sulfate for this, which many garden stores can order for you--or you can get it online.

    Sodium 2.7%: It looks high, but it's actually OK--although it's also kicking your pH up. The potassium sulfate should dispel a tiny bit of this.

    Minor Elements: Normal except for boron and iron, discussed below.

    Boron <0.2. Deficient. We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax.

    Iron 100: OK, but this won't produce the best color at your pH. Whenever you like, you can apply Milorganite to enhance iron levels slowly over time.

    Recommendations:

    April 1, 2016: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate.

    April 15: Apply 4 tablespoons per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team Borax in Milorganite carrier.

    Memorial Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    Labor Day: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    September 15: Apply 2 pounds per thousand square feet of potassium sulfate.

    October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    November 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    dave_harmon65 thanked User
  • 10 years ago

    Hi Dave,

    I just got my soil results and I am trying to attach them to a posting as a pdf.file.

    How did you attach your results.

    thanks

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