Soil Savvy Soil Test Returned - September 2020

A little over a month ago, I posted a photo of the pair of soil tests that I was planning on conducting for my lawn - both front and back - from SoilSavvy.  These tests require you to take a composite set of soil plugs and combine them into a little tray that you ship off.  When SoilSavvy's lab receives the samples, they run them through their system and then send you off this analysis.  

I ended up doing one test for my front yard and one for the backyard.  This is a little different in approach than I did last year, but I'm thinking this is the best way forward. 

First, a quick review of where things were last year.  This year, the results show higher levels of just about everything aside from Boron.  

First up, the front yard.  The N-P-K analysis shows that the Potassium is below the target area.  Surprised?  Not really.  Milorganite's N-P-K is 6-4-0 - so I haven't added any Potassium to the yard this year.  

The Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur are all off the charts. So, too are the Iron, Magnesium and Copper.  That's not suprising, either.  I've put down Ironite on the front yard a couple of times this year.  Sodium is a little low, but my pH is right in the right zone.  

They also provide a recommendation for feeing:  a 0-0-50 organic fertilizer. 

 

And, below, is the backyard - which is made up of both sod'd yard and natural, undisturbed turf.  I made a blend of them both in an attempt to start to deal with the yard as one body.  The backyard is a little different than the front in the initial N-P-K.  In the backyard, I have enough K (Potassium), but not enough K (Phosphorus).  The backyard has more than enough calcium (although less than the front yard), despite me putting down a ton of lime to try to combat the wild onions.  

For the backyard, the Soil Savvy lab is recommending a 0-11-0 organic fertilizer.  

It isn't an easy year-over-year comparison to last year, but now that I've decided to deal with the front vs. the back (instead of the sod vs. native grasses), I'll have something to work against.

Note:  doing these tests was #4 on my 2020 to-do list this year, so I can cross this one off.