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ryandale56

Spring 2016 Logan Lab Results - Need Fertilizer Plan Help

9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

Hi,

I sent my lawn soil samples to Logan Labs, the results are below. Any tips on what my lawn needs? I am located in Santa Ana, California.

Thanks,

Ryan

Comments (3)

  • 9 years ago

    Just to kick start this, morpheuspa will be along to give it a good read, but get ready to add organic fertilizer. We like to use animal feed from the feed store as an inexpensive organic fertilizer. The problem in California is stuff is hard to find. There are plenty of feed stores in your area, so I'd start making calls. Probably the easiest to find would be alfalfa pellets (ask for rabbit chow). It should come in 50-pound bags. Corn meal is good. Soybean meal is great. Check prices for what is available. I scatter it by hand at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. It's easiest to find a 2-pound coffee can, fill it with pellets, and scatter that over 100 square feet (10x10). You can do that every other month starting now if you like. You won't need any other fertilizer, but if you're concerned, you can use chemical fertilizers right along beside the organics. They work completely differently. If anything burns you cannot blame it on the organics.

    What kind of grass do you have?

  • 9 years ago

    It is a bermuda hybrid, I have scalped, dethatched and overseeded with Princess-77 the past two years.

  • 9 years ago

    Sorry for the delay, I've been a bit busy! California, Santa Ana, Bermuda grass. Got it.

    Nitrogen (under Other): I ignore these as they change hour by hour, by moisture level in the soil, temperature, and so on. In the future, don't bother with this test.

    Exchange Capacity 13: Most likely a fairly dense silt soil, which is great to have. This is a near-optimal EC as far as I'm concerned and only requires retesting about every 3 years once balanced.

    Organic Matter 2.4%: Fair. I wouldn't mind seeing this go up, so mulch mow, mow any fall leaves (if you get those there), and maybe feed organically if you wish.

    pH 7.5: A little high, but no barrier to a fantastic lawn. More below under Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium.

    Sulfur 20: Normal!

    Phosphorous 97: Somewhat low. The target here would be 240 or so. We raise this using any starter fertilizer (get the cheapest, they're all pretty much the same). Recommendations below.

    Calcium 69.1%: On the high edge of normal, but normal (high Ca wouldn't do any harm anyway). None required or desired, and this is helping to set off your high pH.

    Magnesium 20.4%: Extremely high. Although still fine, for a soil with an EC of 13 would only require about 11-12% Mg. Excess Mg raises soil pH, and tightens soils and makes them hard to dig and rock-like when dry. I'd avoid anything that lists magnesium in it for quite some time to come!

    Potassium 3.2%: This is a touch trim, but nothing severe, and I'm going to ignore it this year. Excess K isn't a problem and doesn't raise pH that much, but I'd still rather avoid it.

    Sodium 3.4%: A little high. Sodium sharply raises pH, and serves no useful purpose. Excess Na is toxic. We could dispel it...at the cost of adding even more calcium, so I'm inclined to let it ride this year. I'd definitely advise against using softened water on the lawn, but sodium is frequently from salt spray or natural in the soil. Perhaps you could tell us about conditions?

    Minor elements: Boron is a touch low but nothing to worry about. Most others are OK, although all tend to be sky high (your copper levels might be a slight problem, but there's nothing we can really do about it, so...)

    Definitely avoid feed with micronutrients. You don't need them!

    Iron, however, is a bit low at 101. It's not severe, but may result in lighter colors in the lawn. You can always use Milorganite to feed the lawn and add iron (slowly).

    Recommendations

    April 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    May 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

    October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.

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