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j_nick

Logan Labs Soil Test

10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago

Bermuda lawn, haven't done anything this year except put down pre emergent. Been waiting for this to start putting some food down. I have some alfalfa pellets setting in my shop ready to go down. Morpheus please help.

Comments (9)

  • 10 years ago

    I'm going to assume you live on a zinc mine because that stood out. :-) It's not a problem, but it was amusing.

    ME 7.5: Sandy with some silt, probably. It's an airier soil that holds a bit less in the way of resources, so we do have to keep an eye on this more than a heavier soil.

    pH 6.4: Very close to perfect and if it balanced here I'd be thrilled with that. The balance point varies from 6.2 to 6.8 depending on the soil.

    OM 2.1%: At the low end of the Fair range, and with your lower ME, I'd like to see the organic matter levels go up a bit. Mulch mow, mow in all your fall leaves, and maybe consider feeding organically if you want to. This will rise slowly, and the alfalfa you're going to use will help.

    Phosphorus 289: Your target is 200, so this is perfect. The excess doesn't matter and actually, it's a good thing.

    Calcium 65.8%: Perfect!

    Magnesium 11.7%: Perfect!

    Potassium 7.5%: Technically high, but I never object to extra potassium and I'm actually a fan of having plenty. I consider this perfect.

    Minor Elements: Boron is low, and I do mention iron. As noted, zinc is through the roof, but not a problem!

    Iron 74: Rather low for good color at any pH, but not deficient. Whenever you like, you can apply Milorganite to very slowly raise this.

    Boron 0.38: Low. 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.

    Recommendations:

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

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks for the reply I know you've been busy. I knew the soil would be pretty sandy. There is a state park about 2-3 miles from my house and it's 1,500+ acres of sand dunes. Funny you say that about the zinc, I used a pipe I found in my shop and sharpened one end and hammered it into the ground to get my samples. I wonder if it is zinc plated and some got transferred. Next time I'll use a different method of getting my samples.

  • 10 years ago

    Morpheus would you recommend using a starter fert any some time or do I have enough P to just put down only N

  • 10 years ago

    It's possible a bit of zinc got into the sample that way! Even if not and it's natural, it's no big deal.

    For now, you have more than enough P. I'd use a nice, cheap, nitrogen fertilizer and run with it for at least the next year. You simply don't require P or K, so even good old-fashioned urea would be just great!

  • 10 years ago

    Ok thanks, I've been looking around for some slow release fertilizer but haven't found anything to my satisfaction.

  • 10 years ago

    Sulfur coated urea tends to be inexpensive and effective. Really, lawns don't require slow release.

  • 10 years ago

    Morpheus, I have a question about applying micros. I already applied my boran via milorganite this year but got to thinking. I have a tow behind sprayer I use for pre em, PGR, herbicide, and anything else that needs a blanket app. Next year if I need to add Boran again can I mix the required amount in a gallon of water then dump it in my tank along with whatever I'm spraying? I feel like I would get a more even application over mixing with milo.

  • 10 years ago

    Technically, yes, and I've used a hose end to apply boron. You have to make sure you apply things very evenly, and boron really should be watered in post-application if you didn't apply it as a dry powder. It'll absorb into the leaf, and with boron, you really don't want that to happen to any great extent.

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