# Help me interpret these soil test results!



## captainmcfunk (Apr 23, 2020)

hey all, got my soil test results back, and i'm looking for help understanding what to hit my lawn with next. Yesterday, i applied 2 bags of Scotts Moss Ex as i have moss pretty much throughout my whole yard. i also dethatched the yard, which pulled up quite a bit of the moss. Now i'm looking for what to do next to thicken my yard up as well as turn it green. It looks like they're recommending 46lbs of lime per 1000sqft, but that sounds really high to me? am i reading these tests correctly? thank you!

Sample 1: relatively shaded damp area, tons of moss on the surface, but stay much dryer than sample 2:









Sample 2: generally muddy (i'm doing a french drain across this area to fix this next week), poor soil nutrient values from the looks of it:









Grass is Bermuda, Zone 7B. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I moved this over here so it will get more visibility!


----------



## B-Rad (Apr 25, 2020)

Welcome @captainmcfunk! I'm in Arkansas as well and just received my first soil test from the same source. The color-coded bars are a nice touch, but I can't make much out of it.

I did find this UofA publication that "kinda" helps explain the soil report.

https://www.uaex.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-2153.pdf


----------



## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Yes the back needs 46lb of lime per 1000sqft. Use dolomitic lime if possible. The lime is to raise your soil pH.

Both need phosphorus and potassium.

Check the soil remediation guide in my signature for more details.


----------



## captainmcfunk (Apr 23, 2020)

Thanks for the info! so i'm having trouble finding a fertilizer for lawns that is 13-13-13 as per recommendations? Everything i see that's 13-13-13 is for trees/shrubs/gardens? Not sure if i'm looking in the correct place? Thanks!


----------



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

You can use the balanced 13-13-13 on the lawn. It may not run through the lawn spreader as easily as lawn formulated fertilizer, but it is made of the same raw ingredients.


----------



## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

A Triple NPK (13-13-13) is a good choice for you. :thumbup:


----------



## captainmcfunk (Apr 23, 2020)

I reached out to domyown support and they said 32-3-8 would be ideal based off the soil test results? Sorry this stuff is just really complicated since it seems like there's 30 different solutions to fertilizer....


----------



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

Ignoring things like delayed release Nitrogen and other not enormous differences in fertilizer, It doesn't really matter what specific formulation you use. Assuming we want to go with the labs recommendations, you need 2 lbs of K, 2 lbs of P and 4 lbs of Nitrogen in the second test.

If you use 10-10-10, you would apply 10 lbs/1000 sq ft. That will add a full pound of N, P, and K and reduce what you need to 1 lb of K, 1 lb of P and 3 lbs of N.

If you decide you don't want to use the 10-10-10 for the next application a month later, but switch to 18-24-12, you would apply at 4 lbs/1000 sq ft. That will apply .72 bls of N (.18x4), .96 bls of P(.24x4) and .48 lbs of K(.12x4). That leaves you with 2.28 lbs of N, 0.04 lbs of P and 0.48 lbs of K left. The 0.04 lbs of K is close enough to zero we will call it 0.

At that point, you can apply something like 24-0-12 at 4 lbs/1000 sq ft. That will give you 0.96 lbs of N, 0 lbs of P, and .48 lbs of K. You now have 1.32 lb of N, 0 lbs of P, and 0 lbs of K left.

Your next application can be straight nitrogen (e.g. 46-0-0, 32-0-0, etc), or you could even use the 24-0-12 and add a touch extra K. Add enough for 1 lb of N. that leaves you with just 0.32 lbs of N left for the season.

At that point, you decide if the grass needs more N. If it does, you add some. You can even add a full pound/1000 sq ft if there is enough growing season left. If it is growing fine, you can skip the last 0.32 lbs of N.

In general, for Bermuda, you want your Nitrogen in the summer when the turf is growing. You don't want to apply more than 1 lb/1000 sq ft of P or K per month, and you want 1/2-1 lb of Nitrogen per month. You want to bring up the P and K in the spring or early in the summer if possible so the grass doesn't have to deal with the deficiency all summer, so a balanced fertilizer when your Bermuda wakes up is a good option.

(edited to clarify Nitrogen applications on Bermuda)


----------



## captainmcfunk (Apr 23, 2020)

bernstem said:


> Ignoring things like delayed release Nitrogen and other not enormous differences in fertilizer, It doesn't really matter what specific formulation you use. Assuming we want to go with the labs recommendations, you need 2 lbs of K, 2 lbs of P and 4 lbs of Nitrogen in the second test.
> 
> If you use 10-10-10, you would apply 10 lbs/1000 sq ft. That will add a full pound of N, P, and K and reduce what you need to 1 lb of K, 1 lb of P and 3 lbs of N.
> 
> ...


THANK YOU! This really got into the nitty gritty, I appreciate this level of detail and hopefully I can get my yard spruced up in the coming year!


----------



## corneliani (Apr 2, 2019)

You're getting the creme-de-la-creme offering feedback on this post brother.. print it out & look it over until it makes sense  There's some good breakdown in that last post.
All I'll add is that, for starters, don't get confused by the myriad fertilizer options available. How or why manufacturers come up with those particular formulations comes down to business relationships, mineral availability, etc .. but in the end just look at it as if you have 3 buckets to fill: an N, a P, and a K bucket. We could split hairs between the differing nuances of each nutrient but for starters just concentrate on filling the buckets with whatever is available in your area. Don't dwell on Do My Own recommendation though.. I've asked them one question once and was given some off the wall response, and realized this board is way more informative and accurate than the employees at DMO, unfortunately.

If you haven't seen the generic bermudagrass calendar that UA recommends here it is: https://www.uaex.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-6121.pdf

Keep in mind this is a generic / one size fits all approach so use it for knowledge/information. You're above that now 

Best of luck.


----------



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

@captainmcfunk Ohh, I missed that you have Bermuda. That is my bad!

My Nitrogen application guidelines are way off then. Bermuda likes more Nitrogen than other turf and likes it in the summer. Check the warm season forum for details. Pretty much everything else stays the same except when you do the applications. Bermuda gets Nitrogen in the summer rather than in the spring and fall. Mix and match the P and K to fill the buckets early in the season. I would probably do balanced fert (10-10-10) for the first two Nitrogen applications, then switch to some sort of high N fert for the rest on the second test.


----------

