# Soil Test Recommends 10-0-1 @10.5 lbs???



## ryangiebel (May 20, 2021)

Thanks for anyone's attention here. I'm new to the soil-testing world and would love your insight into the results of my soil test for my sub-par ***/Tall Fescue jalopy of a lawn! I'm in Denver, Colorado and my 90% of my lawn is in direct sunlight due to the lack of mature trees in the yard. 
The recommended 10-0-1 at 10.5 lbs per 1k sq ft seems abusive, but again, I'm out of my realm here. Also, my pH levels are high, so should I address this head-on or let my future fertilizing efforts organically bring the pH levels down?

Appreciate any guidance ahead of time!!

-Ryan


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## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Hi Ryan - congrats on starting your journey here to achieve soil health and a better looking lawn. I hate to tell you but most of the experts on the forum don't comment on soil savy or my soil tests because they don't trust the test methods. This thread explains in more detail; https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7162

I also hate to say it's a bit late for applying fertilizer. Fertilizer apps are recommended mid to late spring.... if you consider it to be late spring, you can throw some down but you may not see the results since the grass is slowing down in terms of growth, and in general "less hungry". 32-0-4 or something higher in Potassium like a 32-0-10 might be good if you want to throw it down.

What you can do for sure is focus on mowing at the correct height for your cool season grass (3" or more), and using a sharp blade, and watering correctly. Mowing tall should help keep the grass greener by keeping the soil cooler and help fight the drying effects of windy days. Unfortunately, KBG is a thirsty grass and needs more water than fescue to stay green. This is why I went all Fescue in my back yard.

You can also start planning for fall. Cool season grass will generally benefit from aeration, overseeding and 2 to 3 doses of fertilizer in the fall.

If you want to do a different soil test, you might look at http://www.soiltestinglab.colostate.edu/ 
Colorado State is more in tune with what soil can be like in your area and they should not try to sell you things you don't need.


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## johnklein25 (Apr 22, 2021)

Also, does lack of mature trees mean "new construction" lawn?


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

Wharf a strange fertilizer recommendation. The organic one has so little potassiuum (1%) and the synthetic one would give you more than 1 lb of K per 1000 sq ft, the normal limit. The NPK numbers are percentages. 10.5 lb of 10-0-1 would give you 1.05 lb of N, no P, and 0.105 lb of K. Eight lbs of 7-0-20 would give you ,56 lb of N, no P, and 1.6 lb of K.


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