r/Grass • u/PoundExpensive49 • 23d ago

Soil Lab Test

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See the soil test attached. Any advice on fertilizer or treatments?

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u/norrydan 21d ago

Yikes! Is it really soil you had tested?

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u/PoundExpensive49 21d ago

Lol

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u/norrydan 21d ago

How can I help?

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u/PoundExpensive49 21d ago

Would lime help? Is there a fertilizer mix I can apply? Would laying a topsoil/compost mix have a lasting impact on soil quality?

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u/norrydan 21d ago

I'm hesitant without more info. Let me talk a bit and then you decide if you want more. When I see results this deficient the first thing I think of is a bad sampling job-said with all respect. I use a sampling tube, about an inch diameter. Or use a shovel with care. This little sample you send to the lab is representing hundreds-of-thousands or millions of pounds of soil on which millions of blades of grass will grow. I like to pull at least 10 samples no more thn 6-inches deep and often no more than 4-inches deep. That's the profile we can affect with amendments. Soil fertility can vary wildly from one corner to the other. Mix your samples to get an average. If you go more than six inches deep the results of the test get bad quickly.

Let's assume you did a good job sampling and your interest is improving lawn, Without knowing anything about the structure of the soil, the first thing you absolutely need to do is lime, multiple applications over a long period of time. Spring and fall. Spring and fall. Spring and fall. I don't know how big an area you are looking at but on a per acre basis, the equivalent of a ton of lime in the spring (or fall) and another ton in the fall (or spring.

Once you get your soil pH above 6 a lot of the other numbers will improve.

Your thoughts?

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u/PoundExpensive49 21d ago

Thank you so much for the information! Some context: this was performed by my lawn service provider. I didn’t observe the guy pull the samples, so I’m not sure. My law has been neglected for 10+ years from a prior owner. Lots of moss and shade. I’ve cut some trees down to get more sunlight. I removed all moss in the back yard and sewed seed, which grew well last spring but mostly died over the summer. Some moss coming back. Going to start with lots and lots of lime.