# who else has naturally acidic soil?



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Native pH is in the 4.8 - 5.2 range. Loam to sandy loam for most of the yard with low Mg and P.

Up near the house, it's more of a silty clay and pH around 6, I think that was fill dirt brought in from elsewhere to grade the property, but this is a very small area lawn-wise.

I am only starting to really focus on the lawn, planning more of a true reno next year. I need to lime in "phases" since my soil test calls for 15 lbs/100 square feet.

Couple questions:

1. Can I realistically raise my Ph up as much as I need to?
2. Would you say lime now, then again in March, and August or so, to prep for a late summer/early fall 2021 reno?
3. Would you address the P issue now or wait until seeding? I know if I use dolomitic lime, that will help the Mg.

I have successfully amended the area that is now my vegetable garden. With a couple applications of lime and compost, (plus other chemical and organic fertilizers) I now have a rich soil with a pH in the lower to mid 6's, but that included plenty of tilling and working of the soil, which I know is more difficult for a lawn reno and can cause some issues.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Can you post your soil test and the lab recommendations?


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

I have to dig through my emails, but will do so when I can.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

OK, so now that I am reviewing them (with personal info redacted), I used two labs that produced somewhat different results (samples were taken only about 30 feet from one another). UMass says I'm a bit low on K with P in the low-acceptable range. U of Delaware says P is catastrophically low, but K is HIGH. So I dunno!

The UD recommendation for lime was probably lower due to me selecting "shade trees" instead of lawn at the time I did the test.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

By comparison, this sample was my amended vegetable garden soil (same type of soil with several years of lime, compost, etc and has stabilized nicely). If anything, I should back off except for the iron and cooper.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Did umass give you recommendations ? For lime?


----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

I use UMass as well - I live only a few miles from there! If you were to compare your sample to mine, you would have to give yourself a new name - Lucky! Most notably, your organic matter is pretty good.

The only thing you really need to bring up is your pH and your calcium. That can be done with *calcitic limestone*. Your Mg is sufficient, so do not use dolomitic limestone or you could bring your Mg up too much.

Did UMass give you lime recommendations? My pH was 5.5 and they said to lime 100 lbs/1000 sq ft, but.............*no more than 50 lbs/1000 sq ft per application*. I'm guessing at your very low pH, you will need 3 apps of 50 lbs / 1000 sq ft to bring your pH up above 6.0. Do one app now, one early next spring and one next fall.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

UMass recommended 15 lbs/100 square feet. I cropped that part because it showed my name and address.


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

They likely recommended other stuff too. You can create a new image with just that part.

You need calcitic lime, apply per their recommendations. Your P is towards the low side. I suggest you add more following the Maryland restrictions. Potassium is not low, but if you bag instead of mulching, you will need to supplement.

Sulfur is low. There are multiple ways to increase it. I suggest using SOP (0-0-50). This will raise your potassium (see above) and your sulfur levels.

Lastly, and this one I'm not 100% sure. Your Mn levels are higher than your iron. This could cause some yellow looking lawn when evaluated using the mehlich test methods. Your test used the morgan, so that's why I'm not sure. If you have issues with your lawn color, apply iron to increase it and see if it improves. You can use any source of iron (eg. granular) since your pH is below 7.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)




----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

MDJoe said:


> UMass recommended 15 lbs/100 square feet. I cropped that part because it showed my name and address.


So it sounds like it matches my recommendation above. (50 lbs/1000 sq ft) x 3


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Sounds good. I would have to "Crunch" a bit to get all three apps of lime in before reno next year, but I am thinking I could probably do it in 5-month increments instead of 6 - now, March, and August, without too many ill effects. That way all three can be down before I re-seed.


----------



## 01Bullitt (Aug 31, 2020)

Looks similar to my first soil test from 2018. My PH was 4.9 with low phosphorus. Took me a year to bring PH up to a 5.7 applying dolomitic lime 80 lbs per 1000 total (40 lbs per 1000 in the spring and again that fall). I used dolomitic because NC State recommended it and the price for my 1 acre yard. I brought phosphorus up using a starter fert 18-24-12 and 17-17-17. I use the local co-op through NC State to perform my soil test(it's free) and was unable to do so this year due to the shut down. I did not put anymore lime down until I get a soil test, hopefully next spring.


----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

MDJoe said:


> Sounds good. I would have to "Crunch" a bit to get all three apps of lime in before reno next year, but I am thinking I could probably do it in 5-month increments instead of 6 - now, March, and August, without too many ill effects. That way all three can be down before I re-seed.


You could do one lime app now, one app in March and one app at seed time next Sept.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

So I need to put down about 1500 pounds of lime between now and next September, just to do the front and side yard, which is about 10k SF.


----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Are you sure you have 10K sq ft of lawn, or is that your lot size?


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

My lot is 1.2 acres. I guess it's more like 6900 square feet front and side lawn. The front is about 80 X 80 of actual lawn (it's 100' wide minus the width of the driveway and a shrub border).


----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

I found that setting 18 on my Scott's drop spreader puts down approx 50 lbs/1000 sq ft. Don't sweat it if it's less than that. That's still better than not taking it out of the bag.


----------



## MDJoe (Sep 16, 2019)

Do you like drop spreaders better than broadcast? I have a broadcast spreader, but it seems harder to judge the actual throw when I make the next pass. I always feel like it's uneven.

Drop takes longer, though.


----------



## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

MDJoe said:


> Do you like drop spreaders better than broadcast? I have a broadcast spreader, but it seems harder to judge the actual throw when I make the next pass. I always feel like it's uneven.
> 
> Drop takes longer, though.


Well to be honest, I have never used a broadcast spreader. When I was growing up, my dad had a Sears Craftsman drop spreader and I now have a Scott's drop spreader.

But for the reason you state - it's difficult to know where the fertilizer actually goes with a broadcast spreader - that is why I chose a drop spreader. The tire tracks are my guide to where I've been.


----------

