# Just got my soil test from Waypoint



## Bigtel5 (Mar 11, 2021)

Hello guys just got my soil test back. Any help would be appreciated been trying to get my ph. down a little bit since I've been at this home haven't been able to. My magnesium is high and my potassium is low. My lawn is in pretty great shape. For some reason my backyard is somewhat water logged when it rain I can't cut grass for a few days in the front yard I don't have that problem.


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

You have the soil fertility guidelines are cut off at the bottom. That should be your reference on what to do. What does it say you should get your PH to below? 6-6.5?


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## Lawn Whisperer (Feb 15, 2021)

Also you have the calculated cation saturation blocked on the right. What are the K, Ca, and Mg CEC percentage?


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## Bigtel5 (Mar 11, 2021)

mjh648 said:


> You have the soil fertility guidelines are cut off at the bottom. That should be your reference on what to do. What does it say you should get your PH to below? 6-6.5?


So sorry I just posted my whole soil test thanks for the help.


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## Bigtel5 (Mar 11, 2021)

Lawn Whisperer said:


> Also you have the calculated cation saturation blocked on the right. What are the K, Ca, and Mg CEC percentage?


Sorry just posted my whole soil test any help will be appreciated.


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## mjh648 (Sep 1, 2020)

Just take it nice and slow. Figure how much nitrogen you want to put down a year and find some fertilizers that much the ratio they recommend. Or use what you normally do and supplement the PK if it's lacking. Don't put down synthetic when it's too hot. Don't push growth when you have diseases in your lawn. Give the grass enough water. Fix any drainage issues if you can. It's a marathon not a sprint. If you do too much you will do more harm than good. You will learn from your mistakes and you will make them so be conservative. Have fun!


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## DocV (Mar 1, 2020)

Personally I use the MLSN approach coupled with the philosophy that N drives nutrient utilization when doing soil test interpretation and my spreadsheet is a modified form of the PACE Turf Climate spreadsheet. This has the added benefit of accounting for projected grass growth based on temperature and rainfall for your area and grass type.

Overall your soil looks good. Your pH is under 7.5 so I would not worry about trying to adjust the pH. At this pH, Fe is in limited supply to your lawn even though it is in your soil so you could spray Fe to give your lawn a green up.

For fertilization I recommend 3-4 lbs. N/1000 sq.ft. for the season with the majority going down in May, June, September and October as these are your peak growth months. You do not need a fertilizer with P so look for fertilizers with just N and K. Mulch your grass chippings and leaves to add OM.

EDIT: I forgot to add that @g-man has a great article on how to spray Fe in the Soil Remediation Guidelines section.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

^ +1


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## Bigtel5 (Mar 11, 2021)

DocV said:


> Personally I use the MLSN approach coupled with the philosophy that N drives nutrient utilization when doing soil test interpretation and my spreadsheet is a modified form of the PACE Turf Climate spreadsheet. This has the added benefit of accounting for projected grass growth based on temperature and rainfall for your area and grass type.
> 
> Overall your soil looks good. Your pH is under 7.5 so I would not worry about trying to adjust the pH. At this pH, Fe is in limited supply to your lawn even though it is in your soil so you could spray Fe to give your lawn a green up.
> 
> ...


Thank you that make since, so my magnesium is nothing to be worried about, adding potassium since I'm low in it will adjust my magnesium level since it part of the calculated cation saturation am I right on that assessment. Or am I wrong lol.


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## DocV (Mar 1, 2020)

My analysis does not include Base Cation Saturation Ratios (BCSR) so I cannot help you there. As you provide the nutrients necessary the grass may use some of the Mg thus lowering it in the soil. Hopefully someone more versed in BCSR can provide insight.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

The magnesium bonds to the soil and you cant get rid of it. There is a practice to try to keep the magnesium to calcium in a 20:80 ratio. To get there, you will need to add more calcium without impacting your pH. The only way to do that is with gypsum. In the soil remediation guide I think I explained how much to use, if you want to do this.


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