Soil tests can offer you a variety of important information about your lawn's soil.
If you've taken soil samples from your lawn area to your local agricultural extension office or another soil-testing service, you'll soon receive a report of the results. Soil test results can be difficult to interpret, particularly due to the use of many different acronyms and terms that most laypeople don't understand. In order to interpret your soil test results and understand what they mean in terms of your lawn, you'll need to define these terms and acronyms in the report. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Interpret the soil texture and type listed on your soil test results. The soil texture is typically classified as either coarse, medium or fine. If your test results cite "coarse" soil, this means that your soil is comprised of coarse sand, loamy sand or sandy loam. "Medium" soil is typically loamy or silt loam, while "fine" soil is clay loam, silty clay loam or silty clay. Coarse soil is very well-draining and often requires more frequent watering, medium soil is well-draining but retains adequate water for most plants and grasses, and fine soil can retain too much water and not drain well.
2. Interpret the soil pH listed in your test results. The soil pH tells you whether the soil is alkaline, neutral or acidic, and the higher the number, the more alkaline the soil. If your soil pH is less than 6.0 -- meaning that it's acidic -- you might need to amend the soil bed with lime prior to seeding or sodding the lawn. If the pH is higher than 7.5 -- alkaline -- you might need to amend the soil with sulfur. The ideal soil pH for lawn grass is typically 6.0 to 7.5.
3. Decode the "CEC" figure in your soil test results. CEC stands for "cation exchange capacity" and is a measurement of how well your soil can retain nutrients. If you have a low CEC number, your soil is less fertile, while a higher number indicates rich soil. The typical CEC ranges for lawns is 1 to 5 for coarse soils, 5 to 20 for medium soils and 20 to 30 or higher for fine textures. You can't improve the CEC measurement by adding fertilizers to the soil, however, because the measurement indicates the soil's capacity to hold nutrients and not the actual nutrient content.
4. Identify the "P" or "P2O5" measurement in your soil test results as the amount of phosphorous contained in the soil. Phosphorous deficiencies are most common in high pH or very alkaline soils. Test results of phosphorous levels that are 0 to 13 parts per million (ppm) or 0 to 15 lbs. per acre are considered low, while results of more than 51 lbs. of phosphorous per acre or 25 ppm are considered high. Normal phosphorous levels for lawns are usually 26 to 50 lbs. per acre or 13 to 25 ppm.
5. Interpret the "K" or "K2O" measurement in your soil test results as the amount of potassium available to your lawn grass. Sandy, coarse soils sometimes have potassium deficiencies. Normal levels of potassium in lawn soils are usually 101 to 150 lbs. of potassium per acre or 50 to 74 ppm.
6. Decode the "C" or "Ca" and "Mg" measurements as amounts of calcium and magnesium in your soil. Deficiencies of these minerals usually occur only when the soil pH is less than 6.0. For growing turfgrasses, the ideal calcium measurement is 800 to 16,000 pounds per acre, and the optimal magnesium level is 150 to 2,000 pounds per acre.
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