# Soil Test Results, some help please



## jdrop01 (8 mo ago)

I was hoping maybe someone could take a look at my results and give some insight. Newly built home/lawn. I looked up the soil survey and it reports clay loam with a lot of rocks/limestone.

After the report, I applied 1 round of starter fertilizer. Using cytogro to help roots become more established. The lawn is Jamur Zoysia.

I have some serious hard pan areas of my lawn that cause extreme local dry spots. I have a manual aeration tool but even with me standing on the tool it will not pierce the ground. I've resulted in using a wood auger drill bit to make 1/2 inch and 3-inch deep holes and top dressed with compost/soil. I am tempted to rent an aeration machine from HD and then try out some sand/peat moss mix to help. Any input would be great. I am considering buying fast-acting sulfur this week to help with the 7.5 pH. Thank you in advance.


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## MacLawn (Oct 26, 2021)

Is soil natural Alkaline in your area?
Maybe aerate your lawn and top dress with a loam/compost mix before adding sulfur?

I have only had to lower PH in my soil for my blueberry bushes.
Was recommended by a local blue berry farmer to only use 20lbs/1000 sqft each season. He said its about 35-50lbs per 1000 to get a .5 move
I put down 3lbs in a 80 sqft row and it came down .4 from a 2021 test .

To bad your soil sample did not recommend a PH correction?


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## jdrop01 (8 mo ago)

MacLawn said:


> Is soil natural Alkaline in your area?
> Maybe aerate your lawn and top dress with a loam/compost mix before adding sulfur?


It is naturally alkaline due to our limestone bed here in Fort Worth. Believe that's why we have high calcium also.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

The soil remediation guidelines recommend 5 lb per 1000 sq ft of elemental sulfur for a single application.
https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=15165
If your soil is calcareous, it's impractical to try to lower the pH.

Call your local extension agent and ask about how to break through your soil. No doubt others in your area have had the same issue. I expect liberal applications of organic material, like compost, would be useful. Mulch mow your leaves in the fall, leaving them chopped up in bits on the lawn. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn. Does water soak into the ground or runoff? Do you have earthworms or is it too hard for them?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I fear you are sitting in a limestone quarry. You can try to lower the pH, but I doubt it would be possible.

You need phosphorus (deficient). Also make sure you have proper irrigation (maybe up to 2in of irrigation/week)


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## jdrop01 (8 mo ago)

Virginiagal said:


> The soil remediation guidelines recommend 5 lb per 1000 sq ft of elemental sulfur for a single application.
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=15165
> If your soil is calcareous, it's impractical to try to lower the pH.
> 
> Call your local extension agent and ask about how to break through your soil. No doubt others in your area have had the same issue. I expect liberal applications of organic material, like compost, would be useful. Mulch mow your leaves in the fall, leaving them chopped up in bits on the lawn. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn. Does water soak into the ground or runoff? Do you have earthworms or is it too hard for them?


I have not seen any earthworms since moving in and nothing while digging in some spots. I believe the ground is too hard for them. I have done 1 yard of compost so far and plan to aerate next weekend and apply more compost or peat moss. I have some areas where water runs off to the point I have labeled it hydrophobic, in these areas I have taken the wood auger drill bit and made as many holes as possible, and brushed in compost/manure mix from the big box stores. I purchased some Humate to spread over my 3k lawn and using 6 pounds per M and I spray Air 8 monthly at the highest rating. This is my first season with this lawn and the house was built in March.


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## jdrop01 (8 mo ago)

g-man said:


> I fear you are sitting in a limestone quarry. You can try to lower the pH, but I doubt it would be possible.
> 
> You need phosphorus (deficient). Also make sure you have proper irrigation (maybe up to 2in of irrigation/week)


This was my fear also. I believe that is why no recommendation was made to lower my pH as it would not be possible.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

When people say their soil is too hard, most of the time it is just too dry. Try to measure your irrigation yield using straight wall containers (eg. empty tuna cans).


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

You may be dealing with caliche. Here are some articles:

https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/landscapemgmt/az_climate_soil/calichemgmt.pdf

https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_a/A151/

https://www.finegardening.com/article/gardening-with-caliche-soil-in-the-southern-plains

Talk to your neighbors who have dealt with this. Talk to your local extension agent and any other local professionals who deal with soil.


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## jdrop01 (8 mo ago)

Virginiagal said:


> You may be dealing with caliche. Here are some articles:
> 
> https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/landscapemgmt/az_climate_soil/calichemgmt.pdf
> 
> ...


After reading these articles and seeing what caliche looks like, that is definitely what is going on. When I drill these areas with my wood auger drill bit nothing but white powder comes up for about 2 inches down. I guess my plan of attack has been correct, I will have to continue drilling down through the caliche layer and then top dressing with compost and brushing into the holes. I will rent an aerator next weekend in hopes it can penetrate the layer but will soak the area before my attempt. Thanks everyone for the feed back and advice. I did reach out to my local extension agent in hopes for a remedy.


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## Bombers (Jul 14, 2020)

Similar soil profile here in OK. You're off to the right start with a wood auger bit. I did the same but went deeper at 10-12" (cheap beater bit from amazon) for the worst spots and core aerate the entire lawn. I plan to do the same for the next 2-3 years until I can taper off to an as-needed basis.

I've seen good looking lawns with high pH so I wouldn't invest too much time in trying to change it. Focus on basic cultural practices such as mow often, feed and water it well, and let the roots cycle itself and let time build better soil for you.


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