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Help with UMass Soil Test results in Zone 6a

5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

Hi all, I'm a lawn care newbie and looking for help based on this soil test. We also have a good bit of weeds so planning to put down Tenacity when the time is right (and snow finally melts). Appreciate any help on getting our lawn in shape this spring. We just want thick, healthy, green grass and fewer weeds.




Comments (4)

  • 5 years ago

    At one time, I read soil tests, but a variety of events have occurred around here that have led me to no longer do so.

    Unfortunately, the other site I work with won't read UMass results and I won't bend over there to read them either (it involves a whole other set of mathematical translations that I'd rather not do as I do this for free).

    I'm afraid if somebody else won't assist you, you'll need to look elsewhere.

    Jess B thanked User
  • 5 years ago

    If this were my lawn with that soil test I'd apply some wood ash and that's it. Except for the previous post. If you're unhappy with the looks of your lawn I might spot or overseed some grass seed and cover with a light covering of bulk mushroom compost over the entire lawn.

  • 5 years ago

    (Wood ash should never be applied to a soil as it contains all the heavy metals concentrated in the ash. Only ever use purified chemistry available from companies).


    That having been said, there are exceptions, but I'd advise a formal read from somewhere with actual math done and formal recommendations using measured off-the-shelf chemistry.

    Jess B thanked User
  • 5 years ago

    Whatever you do, you do not need Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) on your lawn. Excess magnesium ions, which you have in spades, causes the soil to become gummy as if it were clay. That might have been the reason you got the soil test to begin with. The cation exchange value of 12.4 says the soil is not clay but has a healthy amount of particles which do not hold onto cations. In other words, sand. That means your soil has some ability to hold ionic nutrients, but nothing like clay does. It is entirely possible to have gummy, sandy, soil.

    Your organic matter looks good. Still I would use organic fertilizer rather than chemical fertilizer. That's just me.

    Soil pH is below 7 making it slightly acidic. The ion that often makes a soil acidic is sulfate, so stay away from fertilizers heavy in sulfate, for example ammonium sulfate. It would appear the soil has plenty of calcium, which is normally how people raise the pH of their soil, but you're already up there with both Ca and Mg. It could be that previous owners simply did what their neighbors did and dumped lime every year just because.

    I am not a soil test guy. The real soil test folks recognize the interactions between the current chemistry and the consequences of adding additional chemistry. I cannot tell you what to use, when, how often, or where to find products.

    What morpheuspa did not mention was that you could get the $25 soil test from Logan Labs in Ohio and get it read on the other website. They will do the Logan Labs reading for free, and do a much better and more authoritative job than I'll ever be able to do.

    Jess B thanked dchall_san_antonio