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Eugene, OR

Hi all,

Just got my latest soil test results back and I'd like to get some opinions on how it looks. I know my K:Mg ratio is off and my nitrogen is low but given the OM level, will the nitrogen level be OK?

I have yet to till in the cover crop as the patch is buried under 2-3 feet of snow at the moment so the OM will probably come up a bit more. Last Fall, all I added was a bunch of peat moss for OM without adding any more K or Mg, gypsum for the Ca, and some ironite to try and boost the micro's, but it looks like they could come up a bit more.

Any suggestions on what to add this spring would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Brian

OM: 8.1%
Phosphorus(weak bray): 110 ppm
" " (Olsen Method): 140 ppm
Potassium: 855 ppm
Magnesium: 726 ppm
Calcium: 5369 ppm
Sodium: 49 ppm
pH: 7.0
CEC: 35.2 (not a typo)
%K: 6.2
%Mg: 17.0
%Ca: 76.2
%H: 0.0
%Na: 0.6

Nitrogen: 11 ppm
Sulfur: 1527 ppm
Zinc: 4.9 ppm
Manganese: 4 ppm
Iron: 11 ppm
Copper: 1.1 ppm
Boron: 2.0 ppm

3/1/2007 6:55:06 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Brian,

All you really need to add is some plants.

The cover crop will add N as it decays. You might spray it with PHC's Bio-Pak (bacteria & molasses) or similar to jump start the breakdown of the cover crop organic material & start the liberation of N.

Is this a very heavy soil?

3/1/2007 11:21:57 PM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

I agree with Steve. Nice test! You may consider adding some compost this fall to help maintain the OM but 8 is Great!
I also would do some foliar feeding and kelp/fish/tea drenches.
This does appear to be a heavy clay soil and that cold impenetrable under layer may be a restriction (I have a similar problem). I would look at raised beds in the stump area to give a larger root zone. Perhaps consider some deep tillage or subsoiler this fall

3/2/2007 7:18:18 AM

maine USA

Is this what I have been impatiently waiting for, an example of a near perfect soil test! Printing this one off for future reference. LOL KathyT

3/2/2007 10:38:54 AM

Eugene, OR

Thank you for the info guys. Would you worry about the micro's at all? I was thinking about at least giving the patch another shot of granular Ironite+ this spring. Also, this will be my last year in this patch....

Regarding my soil, I've done the "jar test" to figure out the soil structure per Steve's advice a few years back. My soil structure is as follows:

Sand: 57%
Silt: 36%
Clay: 7%

I was surprised by the low clay number too considering the CEC but that's what what the jar told me.

Kathy, I don't think there's any good example of a "perfect" soil test, just a range to shoot for. I'm the furthest thing from an expert but I think it really changes from area to area, grower to grower, etc. It's been a couple of years since I looked at Andy Wolf's soil test data he's been collecting but I seem to remember the numbers for the 1000+ pounders were all over the place.

Thanks again everyone,
Brian

3/2/2007 11:52:59 AM

Eugene, OR

Here's Steve's post on how to figure your %clay, %sand, and %silt in case anyone is interested.

You don't need a lab to do a soil texture analysis. You can do it yourself.

There is a simple way to get an estimate of the percentages of sand, silt and clay that are in your soil. Just follow these steps.

First take a pick & pry out some frozen soil. Put it in a large enough plastic bowl so it can defrost at room temperature in the house.

Then find a one quart mason jar with a lid, like the ones used for canning. Fill it a little more than halfway with the soil you want to test. Physically remove any rocks or large bits of roots or leaves & such. Fill the rest of the jar with water and attach the lid tightly.

Shake the jar vigorously for a couple of minutes to fully separate and wet the soil. There should be absolutely no lumps of soil left when you are finished agitating it.

Once you know that the soil is fully dispersed in the solution, set the jar down and begin timing.

---After 45 seconds, mark a line on the side of the jar with a grease pencil or tape where the top of the layer of sand has settled in the jar.

---After 3 hours put a mark at the top of the next layer. This is your silt layer.

---After 24 hours, your clay will have settled out as well. Mark it the same way.

Measure the total depth of soil in the mason jar. Then measure the thickness of each of the three layers using your marks on the jar.

Calculate the percent of sand, silt and clay in your soil sample with the following procedure:

Divide the thickness of the sand layer by the total depth of the soil in the jar.

Follow the same instruction for both the silt and clay layers.

Multiply each of the three figures by 100, and you will have the percentages of sand, silt and clay in your sample.

3/2/2007 11:54:54 AM

maine USA

I know, just kidding :} Kathy

3/2/2007 12:06:57 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Kathy,

Like Brian said, there is no "standard". There are some base line minimums we need to meet or exceed. Hence his concern for the micronutrients.

I find that soil applied oxides & sulphates usually bind up & do us little or no good at all. If you make regular foliar applications you'd be better off.

The names are many - Neptunes, Agro-K, Dunkle's, etc. Use whatever you have that delivers a chelated source of micros.

3/2/2007 1:05:14 PM

Long Island,New York

Just curious Brian...how much gypsum have you added in past 2 years?

3/2/2007 11:02:01 PM

Eugene, OR

Glenn, I've added a lot of gypsum. I don't know the exact figure but if I had to guess, I would say I've added at least 800-1000 pounds to my 1600 sq. ft. patch, maybe more.

Maybe that's why my sulfur levels are so high? I know gypsum does not change the pH but I think it's around 18-20% sulfur. My pH has remained pretty consistent over the past 3 years while the sulfur levels have gone up quite a bit. I know squat about chemistry but I'm guessing all that sulfur hasn't changed the pH because it's not "free" sulfur maybe??

Thanks for the advice Steve. :-)

3/3/2007 12:52:11 AM

Sloughhouse, CA

I had my soil analyzed and also found the soil maps for my area on line. My soil texture was Pentz-Redding gravelly loam Analysis showed 42% sand, 34% silt, 23% clay. The Hadlelville and Pentz soils are made up of 8-20% clay that has a high shrink-swell potential. When the ground gets to wet the poor spaces decreases and this results in poor drainage. We always tells the new neighbors you are not baptized until you have buried your truck and have to have the neighbors come pull you out.

3/30/2007 2:07:31 AM

Salem, OR

Brian--where are you in Oregon? This is Matthew Isom up in Salem. Man, that soil test of yours is a bit spooky to a guy who knows he has to compete with you at weigh offs!

Your Mn, Cu, Zn and Boron levels are especially nice compared to mine. What products do you recommend to raise those levels? Thanks

4/28/2007 1:17:43 AM