Soil sample help

[coolbrze]

Did a soil sample on a clients lawn, what should we recommend given the below:

[grassmasterswilson]

What turf? It looks ok to me. You should see improvements with a good fertilization program.

[nmez21]

You're the one getting paid to do it, what do you think it needs?

Since the report is from Lebanon or any other company looking to sell you product "optimal ranges" are going to be inflated a little bit as compared with you nearest university extension office. Realistically you may not see a huge response from a P application although they show it as low, its definitely flirting with danger and buffering it would give you some insurance (see attached). How deep did you sample? Do you see any signs of a P deficiency like a purple coloration in the turfgrass? P will be tough to incorporate into the soil so an application following aeration would be most beneficial since it doesn't move easily through the soil. What kind of soil do you have?

[Smallaxe]

Phosphorus is mined from the soil by the roots of the plants, in a different way than you soil test calls "Available P"... Annual ag crops such as corn, take a lot of P right now and don't have the help for root hairs to mine P from the soil...
So the question about P being low,,, if you mulch mow and your grass roots are healthy and active, getting deeper and deeper into the soil,,, do you want a fresh application of soluable P to inhibit that activity of the AM Fungi...

The idea of P being low is very likely, a laughable scenario when it comes to growing grass... grass needs more P??? I don't think so,,, at least not around here... check with knowledgeable people in your area and see if anyone has benefitted from P applications...

[Kiril]

Ahhhh, the blind leading the blind .... what a sight to behold.

[coolbrze]

Their lawn is Tall Fescue, I didn't take the sample but one of my guys did. I told him to sample 4-6" deep consistently. Any help on what to recommend applying & when is greatly appreciated.

[phasthound]

Originally Posted by Kiril

Ahhhh, the blind leading the blind .... what a sight to behold.

Help the OP out. What does the soil test tell you?

[Kiril]

Originally Posted by phasthound

Help the OP out. What does the soil test tell you?

With respect to what was tested, no action is required, however I would suggest watching for P deficiency symptoms, particularly if overseeding. It also tells me I need to see a OM% to make any reasonable suggestions, however based on the calculated CEC, some compost probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Smallaxe]

One wonders what, signs of a P defieciency, one might see in turfgrass...

[nmez21]

Originally Posted by coolbrze

Their lawn is Tall Fescue, I didn't take the sample but one of my guys did. I told him to sample 4-6" deep consistently. Any help on what to recommend applying & when is greatly appreciated.

Just a heads up that oftentimes P levels decrease significantly as you go deeper into the soil. See the attached graphic taken from a Wisconsin putting green. Courtesy Dr. Soldat UW-M. Most important thing is consistency of depth from sample to sample though and year to year to ensure results that are worth interpreting.

Was the lawn tested because it had a visual problem?