# N. Texas Soil Test Results



## futuradesign (Jul 3, 2018)

I'm only working with 400sq ft of lawn in my front yard, and I was surprised (or maybe disappointed) to see these soil test results. I just started putting attention into the lawn in May with the following actions:

5/1 - Milo application
5/13 - Manual core aeration
5/15 - Top dressed with Black Kow soil w/ manure
6/10 - Applied gypsum
6/14 - Applied Jobe's lawn food
6/27 - Soil sample taken with the core aerator in multiple areas(only down about 4")
7/5 - Applied Milo

The front yard is not as thick as I'd like, and I'm currently cutting at 1.7" with a rotary mower. There are still spots which are stemmy/brownish. Given these soil test results, I'm inclined to think I may not be watering enough. It's hot as hades right now in N. Texas with the next 7 days forecast over 100 degrees.

Does the low sodium have any large impact on lawn health?


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## futuradesign (Jul 3, 2018)

Here's a close up of the thin/stemmy areas which I'd like to thicken up and get all green.


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## Ahab1997 (Jun 30, 2018)

How often are you mowing?

Given that your fert program seems to be feeding the lawn everything it needs, now maybe the turf needs some convincing to grow out, instead of up.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Your soil looks fine. Low sodium is good. I would use Ammonium Sulfate (AS) for nitrogen since your pH is 7.7. Follow the Bermuda Bible. It looks starved.


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## futuradesign (Jul 3, 2018)

Ahab1997 said:


> How often are you mowing?
> 
> Given that your fert program seems to be feeding the lawn everything it needs, now maybe the turf needs some convincing to grow out, instead of up.


Right now I'm mowing every 3-4 days.



g-man said:


> Your soil looks fine. Low sodium is good. I would use Ammonium Sulfate (AS) for nitrogen since your pH is 7.7. Follow the Bermuda Bible. It looks starved.


Thanks, I need to get it watered more regularly.


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## Lawnhunter (Mar 22, 2018)

I would apply pgr. It slows vertical growth but produces more blades which makes the lawn thicker. It also makes the grass more drought tolerant. For a lawn that size you should look for someone doing a split in the equipment exchange section.

As for the soil test it looks real good aside from the high ph but from what I understand that isn't really a big deal.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

In the spring, did you scalp and verticut it?


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

Normally, I'd ask you to report back with the extract method the lab used to perform the test or at least which lab did the test (I might be familiar with the lab), but due to the recent proximity in time of all the amendments you've made to your sampling date and questions that arise from the sampling method (can you be more detailed about how you used an aerator to pull cores--did you use one of the manual foot operated aerators or did you run a powered core aerator and then collect lose cores?) and the reported test values for individual nutrients, I strongly suspect that the test results are unreliable.
Allow your soil to bake/cook long while before testing again. Test again next Spring prior to making any amendments.

Edit: In the meantime, for the rest of the year, I'd suggest you apply NOTHING but nitrogen fertilizer. The pictures show a pretty healthy looking turf with good color. As others have mentioned, a change in cultivation practice (mowing HOC etc,) is likely to alleviate most of the issues you have. Suggest you post pics in "Warm Season" sub-forum and ask for advice.


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## futuradesign (Jul 3, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> In the spring, did you scalp and verticut it?


No, I previously had a service come once a week to cut/edge the lawn. They used to cut at 3-3.5", and I got tired of the small things they'd miss or not perform to my liking. That's when I purchased my Ego lawn mower and started to pay attention.



Ridgerunner said:


> Normally, I'd ask you to report back with the extract method the lab used to perform the test or at least which lab did the test (I might be familiar with the lab), but due to the recent proximity in time of all the amendments you've made to your sampling date and questions that arise from the sampling method (can you be more detailed about how you used an aerator to pull cores--did you use one of the manual foot operated aerators or did you run a powered core aerator and then collect lose cores?) and the reported test values for individual nutrients, I strongly suspect that the test results are unreliable.
> Allow your soil to bake/cook long while before testing again. Test again next Spring prior to making any amendments.
> 
> Edit: In the meantime, for the rest of the year, I'd suggest you apply NOTHING but nitrogen fertilizer. The pictures show a pretty healthy looking turf with good color. As others have mentioned, a change in cultivation practice (mowing HOC etc,) is likely to alleviate most of the issues you have. Suggest you post pics in "Warm Season" sub-forum and ask for advice.


I used Texas A&M Soil Testing. http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/webpages/swftlmethods1209.html

For sampling, I used my manual, foot driven core aerator with two tines to take 8 samples across the front yard. I then mixed all the cores together and removed the organic matter.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

Your soil looks consistent with most in the DFW area, and with our limestone bed, adjusting the pH just isn't an achievable goal. The turf looks really good, and the high pH isn't an issue for bermuda.

The thin area may be due to shade. If so, then raising and thinning the tree canopy is your only hope. If the area is shaded due to a structure, then you may not be able to make much improvement.


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

> I used Texas A&M Soil Testing. http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/webpages/sw ... s1209.html


A&M uses M3 for P and the Majors and DTPA for micros. In high pH soils, M3 can inflate reported Ca levels and CEC, so your Ca levels aren't likely accurate and significantly lower than the 6000 reported. Not an issue except you wont be able to determine if Ca levels are so high as to create K and Mg issues.


> For sampling, I used my manual, foot driven core aerator with two tines to take 8 samples across the front yard. I then mixed all the cores together and removed the organic matter.


That process should be fine and I don't see any evidence that the tool's material contaminated the sample.

Still, the reported Nitrate, Phosphorous and Sulfur levels lead me to suspect that the recent applications of Milo, Black Kow and Gypsum have skewed the results. I wouldn't make adjustments based on your reported test results for that reason.


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