# 1st ever soil test - questions on how to improve my soil



## TheThirstyTurtle (May 3, 2019)

I just got the results back today for my 1st ever soil test from MySoil on my nearly 5k sq ft mostly KBG lawn in central NJ.

Looks like I am low on all major nutrients, which in retrospect isn't surprising to me. But can I apply a 12-12-12 starter fertilizer from Yard Mastery as the test result recommended? I'm a bit concerned about pushing heavy nitrogen growth after all the heat we've recently had and being so close to summer. Also, I just bought a bag of Yard Mastery's stress blend (7-0-20) which I haven't even opened yet, so I'm hesitant to buy yet another fertilizer so soon. I figured I could go for a 12-12-12 or 10-10-10 in the fall when it gets a bit cooler again.

For my micros, I'd prefer to correct that using a liquid app rather than the granular product MySoil recommended. Can I use the Simple Lawn Solutions Micro Booster to pick up the micros? Curious to see what you guys would recommend here.

I wasn't too surprised that my iron, of all things, was high. I applied two full bags of Oceangro (NJ's 5-5-0 fertilizer equivalent to Milorganite) about 10 days prior to pulling the test sample cores before we got some heavy rains. The Oceangro has a heavy dose of iron.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

You are correct that summer is a bad time to fertilize. You have used a test that gives recommendations for only one fertilization, not a test that covers a whole year of amendments. Some discussion of MySoil and YardMastery:
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=16135
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=26242

Tissue testing gives a better read on whether micronutrients are needed.


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## TheThirstyTurtle (May 3, 2019)

Thanks for the links. I wish I had known more about My Soil and Soil Savvy tests before I ordered my test. Oh well, it was my first time out doing this. Although the test results steering me towards a Yard Mastery fertilizer now makes a lot more sense to me.

I'll use a more transparent soil test in future years, preferably one that can give me an annual regimen instead of a one-time fix recommendation.


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