# Northern Virginia Soil Test Results - What should I do? (transition zone)



## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

Hey Guys,

Im in northern VA have mostly TTF but its pretty much a mixed bag right now. Just had soil tests done, from Virginia Tech for my side, front, and backyard. All pretty similar. Mostly focusing on my Front and Backyard. The lime reccomendation is clear to me, but i dont know what to do about fertilizing, when still not sure how much and what type of N? In VA we have i think 3.5lb N max for the year. Appreciate the help. (I have 4 bags 50lbf Greentrx 16-1-2 hybrid bio, that I have not put down). Appreciate the fert help!

*Backyard*


*Frontyard*


From the report notes
"See Notes" box on the upper right of the report, go to: http://soiltest.vt.edu/report-notes.html
"The "Lab Test Results" section shows the relative availability of nutrients numerically and if appro-priate, as a rating. The rating may be interpreted as follows: L=Low, M=Medium, H=High, VH=Very High, EH=Excessively High (soluble salt test only), DEF=Deficient, or SUFF=Sufficient, and sometimes a "+" or "-." When soils test Low, plants almost always respond to fertilizer. When soils test Medium, plants sometimes respond to fertilizer and a moderate amount of fertilizer is typically recommended to maintain fer-tility. When soils test High to Very High, plants usu-ally do not respond to fertilizer."


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

pH is low and they gave you the quantity of lime to use. I think you should use calcitic lime instead of agricultural lime.

The front lawn can use some iron to get it higher than the Mn. Any iron will work on your soil. I think the Greentrx has iron.

Both front and back need P and K.

Check the Soil Remediation Guide in the my signature for rates/frequency/products to use.


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## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

@g-man Your soil recommendations are very helpful! What is the proper timing though, Should i start here in the spring? For instance I need P/K can i do those in the hotter months, while watching my N?

I think Ag Lime is calcitic limestone right? Dolomite would be different correct?

Thanks!


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

You can start as soon as the soil is not frozen (green up). In the very dry months, avoid applying products since they can't dissolve or move thru the soil.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

Have you read VA Tech's publication on lawn fertilization?
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/CSES/CSES-135/CSES-135-pdf.pdf
Ag lime is dolomitic lime.


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## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

@virginiagal to me that doesnt make sense I already have high magnesium so why would they reccomend me put down 800lb and totatly compact my soil? I was using this spreadsheet from virginia tech and it clearly states they consider ag lime to calcitic

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-40/SPES-40.pdf


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Ag lime is dolomitic lime. It is cheap and has Ca and Mg. Calcitic lime is mostly Ca (very low levels of Mg) and it is not that naturally abundant, so it could be more expensive. More info in this post from MSU.

I think you should use calcitic lime to avoid adding more Mg to your soil.


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## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

@g-man @Virginiagal -

I dont think AG LIME 100% of the time means dolometric. As I showed above directly from the VA Tech from their school of plant and environmental sciences they are saying agricultural lime OR dolomitic not and. Additionally there are other sources comparing Agricultural lime to dolometric. I would say that the term is loosely interpreted many ways and we just need to be specific between dolometric and calcitic, AG out all together.

I already agree I need Calcitic(which is further re-enforced by the fact I have high Mag levels).

Here are more links showing dolometric is not agricultural lime.

https://braenstone.com/agricultural-lime-vs-dolomite-lime/
https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/soils/acidity/publications/best-lime


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Like the Australian government says, AG lime is crushed limestone. It gets tested to see how much carbonate/mg is has but not controlled. Sometimes the analysis is in the bag, but most of the time it is just a brown bag with the word Lime in front (aka cheap). The amount of Mg varies based on the source. Here is an example from Menards brown 50lb bag $4.49. They posted a chemical analysis for it. It is 42% Mg.

You can buy a bag that says dolomite. That one gets tested and adjusted to have a ratio of Ca/Mg in the bag. Some crops need this level of control and you pay for it. This is similar to the the calcitic lime, you are paying to have little Mg. For both you can also pay for the particle size (mesh) and/or carriers to make it easier to spread.

So look at the label of the product you plan on using and try to find one that does not have a lot of Mg in it. If not stated, assume it has Mg and dont use it.


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## Ridgerunner (May 16, 2017)

Got to love unwinnable arguments.
Aglime = whatever the author intends it to mean.
Most likely Aglime is a contraction for agricultural limestone with the adjective "agricultural" meant to describe a limestone (natural carbonate product, for the most part, irrespective of it being calcitic or dolomitic) that is ground fine enough to eventual dissolve in soil solution and raise soil pH.
Over time, due to laziness, ignorance or just expedience, the meaning of words change due to disrespecting the rules of language irregardless of the confusion that will result.
Plenty of evidence/examples exist to support that aglime can mean calcitic, dolomitic or either.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

I agree that calcitic lime is best for you. Around here, the bags labeled aglime are dolomitic. About the only calcitic lime available is the fast acting kind (follow bag directions on how much to use at a time). I expect VA Tech is not concerned about the kind of lime but the amount needed to neutralize acidity.

Have you found sources of phosphorus and potassium?


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## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

Hard to tell via the written word, but mine was a playful back and forth to truly understand what was/is needed for my yard. I feel like i know more about lime than i ever did =). I have a siteone by my house and found some 0-45-0 and 0-0-40 bags... Ill probably use those to separately address those macros will doing my more normal 16-1-2 nitrogen fert.


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## Virginiagal (Apr 24, 2017)

Another publication for you:
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/452/452-510/SPES-158.pdf
VA Tech is using the term aglime to refer to either calcitic lime or dolomitic lime: "The most common material used for liming agricultural soils in Virginia is finely ground dolomitic or calcitic limestone. Aglime is a material composed of varying concentrations of calcium and magnesium carbonates and must have a minimum of 85 percent CCE to be labeled and sold as "Aglime" in Virginia..." There are other types of lime, as detailed in the publication.

Glad you found phosphorus and potassium.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

@estcstm3 where did you get the GreenTRX? Was it at Ewings in Sterling? Do you know how much is per bag there?


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## estcstm3 (Sep 3, 2019)

Yes it was at Ewings in STerling. I dont remember the price but they will quote you over the phone, i purchased at the beg of the season. Ewings is very much like site one. Ill probably still go to site one since im on the other side of fairfax and sterling was kind of a hike.


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## VALawnNoob (Jun 9, 2020)

Thanks for the tip! I stopped by Monday morning. The bag is $25 and I picked up a couple just to try it out. At the app it looks like a bit of savings from Milo. It seems like everything is just a tad bit cheaper than SiteOne.


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## ceriano (Oct 6, 2021)

estcstm3 said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Im in northern VA have mostly TTF but its pretty much a mixed bag right now. Just had soil tests done, from Virginia Tech for my side, front, and backyard. All pretty similar. Mostly focusing on my Front and Backyard. The lime reccomendation is clear to me, but i dont know what to do about fertilizing, when still not sure how much and what type of N? In VA we have i think 3.5lb N max for the year. Appreciate the help. (I have 4 bags 50lbf Greentrx 16-1-2 hybrid bio, that I have not put down). Appreciate the fert help!
> 
> ...


Does percent organic matter really matter? I'm planning to submit 4 samples, just trying to figure out if it's worth testing for organic matter, soluble salts etc.


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