# YM 5-0-0 to raise CEC and improve soil



## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

Yard Mastery and The Andersons just released a granular biostimulant with a 5-0-0 analysis. My soil test is indicating a low CEC value (under 5), so I'm looking to raise the CEC value and improve my soil. Given the size and layout of my yard, I would have to call in a company to help spread organic matter like compost after fall aeration (and probably at significant cost). This is in an easy to spread granular form, so it's an attractive option from that perspective. Anyone have any thoughts or tried it yet?

https://yardmastery.com/products/soil-mastery-granular-bio-stimulant-with-humic-biochar-gypsum-kelp-and-iron


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

Yikes, that makes the carbon pro g look cheap. I think your money is better spent adding in some organic based fertilizer such as greentrx or milorganite and developing soil from root cycling. Mix your own root growth stimulator and you would come out way cheaper.


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## PodScot (Mar 18, 2021)

Curious to see what others say. 15k worth of bag rate milo in my area is $102 per app. Milo almost double in price this year in my area.


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## CLT49er (Jun 19, 2020)

$70? This is insanity. Good stuff in it but thats crazy.


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## CLT49er (Jun 19, 2020)

Siteone has a 4-3-1 called Dynamic Duo that I believe is a better value than Milo. If I recall right it was $22 for 50lbs.


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## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

It's expensive for sure. Ideally I'd like to get a load of compost and thinly spread it after I've core aerated in the fall, but I'll have to price that out with a pro landscaping company and see where I'm at. Part of the problem is the size of my lawn and the fact that it has some pretty steep areas. I'm looking to improve CEC without a lot of labor (since it's just me doing the work). Some of these granular products look attractive, but value and actual effectiveness are questionable.


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## balladinsurgency (Nov 23, 2019)

My situation is similar: low CEC and wanting to add organic matter to a large area. I settled on compost, which I can get for <$30/yard delivered. I get a bunch in the spring and drop it out of the way, then spread it by hand as time and motivation allow.

We know compost works. For me, most alternatives are too expensive or unproven, or both. But I still read up on every new product to see if someone found the magic formula!


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## OnTheLawn (Jul 23, 2020)

I can't see a 45 lb bag doing much to move CEC in the top 6" of soil, especially at the suggested rates, but for $70 it can't hurt to give it a shot and see what happens. For me, I have 1200 sq ft to really work on, so it may be worth it to get a bag and see what happens. For someone with 15000 sq ft, different story and investment level.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

balladinsurgency said:


> We know compost works. For me, most alternatives are too expensive or unproven, or both. But I still read up on every new product to see if someone found the magic formula!


^^^This. Most magic bullets do nothing more than make your wallet lighter.


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## tneicna (May 6, 2019)

Products won't fix your lawn overnight.

Your lawn is its own biosphere. The topsoil, water, and fertilizer and cultivars are what you need to focus on.

What's your soil like? Does it leech N/P/K? Is it compacted? Thatch accumulation? Is it a Loam/Sandy soil?

Best thing I've done to my lawn (besides wetting agents) is reduce thatch in the spring/early summer, apply the correct Fert (N/P/K), use a reel mower.


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

Will biochar add CEC? Yes.
Will humic acid add CEC? Yes.
A soil with a CEC> than 5.5 can theoretically hold sufficient nutrients to supply plants for one growing season.

CEC calculations are based on an acre. 1 meq (or c-mol) is 1 CEC.

1 Kilogram of biochar has between 11.9 and 119 meq cation sites (CEC) (depending on the biomass material, pyrolysis processing method and the testing method used).
In a best case scenario, that's around 60 CEC per pound.
Applying 1# of biochar per thousand is 43.5 lbs per acre (1 X 43.5) or an addition of 2610 meq.
Dispersed over 2000000 lbs in an acre, that is an addition of 0.0013 meq to CEC.
i.e. Every one pound of high quality biochar added per thousand square feet will add .0013 meq to CEC.
17.68 lbs/M of high quality biochar can add 1 meq or 1 CEC

High quality biochar contains 80-85% carbon. 
This particular product contains 23.7% carbon derived from biochar; about 14 lbs of biochar.

One Kilogram of pure HA contains between 200 and 500 meq cation sites (CEC)
In a best case scenario, that's around 250 meq per pound.
Applying 1# of Humic Acid (HA) per thousand is 43.5 lbs per acre (1 X 43.5) or an addition of 10875 meq.
Dispersed over 2000000 lbs in an acre, that is an addition of .0054 meq to CEC.
4.6 lbs/M of pure HA can add 1 meq or 1 CEC.

This product contains 9% HA; 4 lbs of HA.

Theoretically, adding 27lbs/M of this product could raise your CEC by 1.
It's a cost/benefit analysis.
If your soil CEC is below 3 or 4, There is a good likelihood of a benefit. If your soil is above 7 or 8, you likely will see very little benefit.

Keep in mind, you are topdressing and not incorporating (tilling in) and that will have an impact.


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## desirous (Dec 15, 2017)

27lbs/M is nine applications at the recommended rate. (Just for reference while you are doing the cost/benefit analysis.)


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## tam (Jun 27, 2020)

Andersons products are usually too expensive for my wallet in general, and I already have some similar ingredients sitting on the shelf in my garage already (iron, humic, some Subvert FFF which includes a biostim), so it wouldn't be worth the price tag *to me.*

I'd probably try Propeat before this if you want to throw money at a granular product with carbon. About $60/50lbs at Home Depot and it includes carbon, micros, and N-P-K. SiteOne and Lowes also sell Milo clones.

I suspect compost will still be more cost-effective even with the added labor costs.


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## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

tneicna said:


> What's your soil like? Does it leech N/P/K? Is it compacted? Thatch accumulation? Is it a Loam/Sandy soil?


Based on my March soil test, my soil needs some help. CEC averages to about 4.6. I core aerated last fall to relieve compaction, but I'm sure it needs it again this year. I dethatched last fall as well, and lightly raked to stimulate growth this spring. Based on my location (southern New England) and CEC numbers, I would say it's a sandy soil.... and quite a bit of it is steeply sloped.

I put down four bag rate applications of Milorganite last season, and still came up phosphorus deficient in my soil test! In fairness, last year was the first year I've ever really paid attention to my lawn.

As another poster mentioned, once you get to the over 15K sq ft mark (particularly with steeper slopes), cost, time, and effort become serious issues. I'm trying to develop a strategy that makes sense. The vibe I'm getting is that I should just focus on proper pH, fertilizing, dethatching, aerating, and mowing. My thought was to try to improve my low CEC, but throwing big $$$ at products that will have a negligible effect on a yard so large makes little sense I guess.


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## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

Ridgerunner said:


> Theoretically, adding 27lbs/M of this product could raise your CEC by 1.
> It's a cost/benefit analysis.
> If your soil CEC is below 3 or 4, There is a good likelihood of a benefit. If your soil is above 7 or 8, you likely will see very little benefit.
> 
> Keep in mind, you are topdressing and not incorporating (tilling in) and that will have an impact.


Thanks for the detailed analysis @Ridgerunner . I tested my front and back yards separately, and the CEC values averaged to 4.6. That's obviously low. But buying and putting down that much of that product is crazy expensive, and given my steep sloped areas, the risk of it washing down the hill negates much of the cost and effort. 

I'm just looking to make meaningful improvements. My soil isn't ideal, and I realize it won't ever be perfect. But if there are reasonable things I can do to make improvements, I'd be willing to try. I'm still trying to learn so I can improve as well.

Here's a link to my soil test results if you've got a moment to look: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=26661


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

spraying_and_praying said:


> Based on my March soil test, my soil needs some help. CEC averages to about 4.6. I core aerated last fall to relieve compaction, but I'm sure it needs it again this year. I dethatched last fall as well, and lightly raked to stimulate growth this spring. Based on my location (southern New England) and CEC numbers, I would say it's a sandy soil.... and quite a bit of it is steeply sloped.


Fellow New Englander, your soil sounds a lot like mine! Sandy soil with a low CEC. You need to build up your soil structure and this takes time. Core aeration followed by a compost top dressing for a few years would be the best way to do this. As Ridgerunner implied, adding the biochar will only make a marginal difference and is terribly cost prohibitive.

As far as the steeply sloped area, I would not even bother trying to grow lawn grass there. The best thing to do with a steep slope would be some ground cover plants that stabilize the soil - look into creeping junipers or some similar creeping evergreen cultivars. Daylilies would be another idea, but die back in winter.


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

Per the soil test, you're low in most all nutrients including P, K and many of the micros. Slopes are something you're just going to live with. You could switch to all foliar applications. For mine, using granular, I've been just heavily fertilizing the top 1/3-1/2 and skipping the bottom half of the slope. It seems to help a bit in preventing the flat areas at the bottom from getting over fertilized.
Ideally, you should use AMS, 0-46-0 and 0-0-50 for NPK. There are NPK granulars (4-1-2ish) containing SOP and N&P that are supplemented with small quantities of all the micros. They exist (same for AMS, 0-46-0 and 0-0-50), but can be difficult to source and rather expensive (make an effort though to find them and see). In the alternative, for a much more price friendly option that will meet 90% of your turf needs, use a triple NPK, like 10-10-10 etc. In addition you could get a product with a mix of micros in liquid form to spray a couple of times per year. Mulch mow. You probably should test yearly to keep an eye on nutrient levels and watch for changes in turf performance.


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## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

Thanks all for the advice.

@Deadlawn I guess steep is a relative word. Some of my yard is sloped 25 degrees, and other sections are much less or almost level. I'm built into a hill overall... and as @Ridgerunner said, it is what it is, I simply have to live with it. Grass is growing on those slopes, but not well. I will say it's MUCH better this year after a year of Milorganite last year. I'll have to look into a fall core aeration/compost application and see how much that would cost.

@Ridgerunner Your suggestion of fertilizing the top half or so of the slopes and letting it naturally run down to the bottom makes sense. I have thought about switching to a liquid fertilizer program, hoping that it would be easier to apply and I would have more control over the application. How would that work? Would I buy something like a 4 gallon backpack sprayer, and use a balanced liquid fertilizer (and possibly macros)? I tried to find the high does P and K granular fertilizers, and you were right- they are difficult to find and pricey. I'd be more inclined to go with a balanced fertilizer option- granular or liquid. I'm really interested to learn more about how a liquid program would work. I won't lie- pushing a spreader full of product horizontally across the steeper slopes can be a nightmare. There's got to be a better way. Maybe liquid fertilizer sprayed by a hose-end sprayer? I don't really know. I'm hoping there are some good ideas on how to do this better.


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## balladinsurgency (Nov 23, 2019)

tneicna said:


> Your lawn is its own biosphere. The topsoil, water, and fertilizer and cultivars are what you need to focus on.


This is how I've come to see things. If I cultivate healthy soil over time, more resilient grass should follow to help me through the summer months in the transition zone.

PreM is a must but other than that I try not to use herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc. No aeration (I have sandy soil, abundant worms, and this year - cicadas). Just trying to let the little critters and microherd do their thing.


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

I don't spray fertilizer, but @Mightyquinn and @greendoc have pretty extensive experience and have made a number of posts over the years regarding that method. I'd suggest you search the site using their user name and key words like soluble or spraying.


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## spraying_and_praying (Feb 24, 2021)

@Ridgerunner Thanks for the info!


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

Deadlawn said:


> balladinsurgency said:
> 
> 
> > We know compost works. For me, most alternatives are too expensive or unproven, or both. But I still read up on every new product to see if someone found the magic formula!
> ...


Yep keep it simple.


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