# '22 Soil Test - High Iron, Low CEC



## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

*Soil Test Results are in.* Used Rx soil as it is tested by Waypoint. Don't have Waypoint nearby.


Surprised to see such high iron. Looks like I won't be spraying it this year.

Capacity to Retain Nutrients (CEC) very low, but don't really know how to fix this

pH seems ok but they are suggesting lime to bump it up a bit closer to the mid-range. Need to be careful with lime amounts.

*Questions:*

Should I bag clippings?

How do I increase Zinc and Copper without touching Manganese and Iron?


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

What extractant was used? I looked online but couldn't find any information. It is unsettling that the instructions called for samples to be taken from 2-6 inches and didn't tell you to take them all at the same depth. It did not instruct you in how many samples to take. And it didn't say to mix them up. Good grief. Sloppy, sloppy instructions.

Connecticut does soil testing for free. Here is the webpage and there are detailed instructions when you click on links. I suggest you get a test done there.
https://portal.ct.gov/CAES/Soil-Office/Soil-Office/Soil-Testing-Offices-Instructions


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

One other thing that bothers me about this test. You may well be low in potassium but if so, they aren't recommending but 1/3 lb per 1000 sq ft. That's not enough to do much of anything. You will notice that they mention specific products. They have partnered with companies to promote specific products. Perhaps they haven't partnered with anyone that sells a fertilizer with a high potassium content. Hardly inspires confidence in their recommendations.

In general, it's good to leave clippings on the lawn. They help fertilize. You might bag them if you have a fungus issue or to collect poa seeds before they fall.

Any particular reason you have to be careful about lime?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Virginiagal I forgot to subscribe to this topic, so I didn't see your replies until I checked again today.

Extractant Used - standard soil probe to a depth of about 4", sampled from 10 different sections of the front lawn. I mixed them together before sending to the lab.

Thanks for providing me with the Connecticut soil test office. I will probably use them going forward.

I noticed how low the potassium remediation suggestion was, I'll probably apply more than suggested.

I said I needed to be careful about lime because I don't want the pH to get high, but my statement comes from low education about *how much the pH will actually increase with the suggested application.* If I apply 22.5lbs this year as suggested, what are they hoping my pH will be at by next spring?


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Virginiagal I asked about bagging clippings because of this video suggestion from the lab that feeding clippings back into the lawn only helps retain iron and manganese, which it appears I have a lot of anyway.

Clip from Video: 


Video Link:


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

Soil Rx isn't saying on the website what extractant it uses so the rest of us can't interpret the results. If we knew the extractant, maybe we could comment. Different extractants have different ranges for optimal nutrient levels.

Your pH at 6.1 is fine, The target for pH is usually 6.5. They did not include a buffer pH, which is the only way to determine how much lime is needed to raise it to the target. You could call them and ask about the buffer pH and how they came up with a lime recommendation. While you're on the phone, ask them about the potassium recommendation. If you don't want to follow up with them, I'd just not do any lime now and instead see what next year's test with Connecticut shows. Connecticut will no doubt do a buffer pH.

Manganese and iron are toxic only at low pH, much lower than yours. I wouldn't worry about it. The clippings provide organic matter as well as nutrients.


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## joec-ct (Aug 6, 2021)

@Virginiagal Thank you very much for your inputs! Some investigation work to do indeed.


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