Got Soil Test Back...Need Advice

[SkylineAcres16]

I am just a small hobby guy who makes some orchardgrass/bluegrass/fescue square bales on the side. For the last several years I have just been fertilizing with 19-19-19 and had been putting off getting a soil sample taken. I finally did a sample this fall and got it back and now I need some direction on interpreting and also what to use as the fertilizer since I am used to just using triple 19. This would be done using a 3pt broadcast spreader. A buddy of mine recommended using DAP for my phosphorous and muriate of potash for the Potassium. Can these be bought in bags? Being new to this, if I went this route would I apply 1 product on the entire field and then apply the 2nd product afterwards since I would be buying in bags and have no way of mixing? Thanks in advance.

 

[duffer]

You can in fact, buy bags of Phosphorous by itself. I think the formulation is 0-46-0. On the potassium side, none of my suppliers around here sell potassium by itself, so I use a 15-0-15.

Also, pay attention to the ph level of your soil. It should be around 6-7. If it's below 6, you would likely need to add some lime to your soil to get the ph up. There should be a recommendation on your soill test results if you need lime.

If you have a good size broadcast spreader, you simply make multiple passes over your acreage. Once per each chemical you need. Doesn't take that long at all. I wouldn't even think about trying to mix it in a single batch. I always try to time the application before a rainy period (<2") to get it into the soil.

Getting your soil balance is important to letting the plants soak up the nutrients you'll put down later. Otherwise, you're just wasting money on triple 19. Wouldn't hurt to do another soil test in Jan-Feb to see how much more correction (if any) you need, and if you should change your fertilizer ratio at all.

 

[SkylineAcres16]

Thank you for your reply. I figured 1 pass per chemical would be the way to do it but wasn't sure.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Thank you for your reply. I figured 1 pass per chemical would be the way to do it but wasn't sure.

Funny. I was just reminded that I sent soil samples off to the great state of north carolina 4 months ago.

At the time I looked the gal in the eye and said, what are the odds I ever get these back, and smiled.

She gave me the bad eye. I never got the results back. Maybe she just tossed them?

Again, another example of govt. incompetence and no downside on their side.

 

[duffer]

I use Clemson University. Pretty quick with the results, and they give you a pretty detailed analysis, with graph, and specific recommendations on how much of what formula fertilizers/chemicals/lime to use. Used them for 3 years now. Not disappointed at all.

 

[DJ54]

Check locally where farmers buy their bulk fertilizer. Depending on how much you need, they will blend it, and you can spread all in 1 trip. I usually only need around 850 lbs to do my 4 acres of hay ground,but a local supplier will gladly blend it, and load it on my 1 ton dump truck. Takes me about 15 minutes to shovel it into my cone spreader, but sure beats making 3 trips over the field.

If you don't have a truck/trailer suitable to haul it in, they have spreaders you can use. Not sure what additional cost would be though.

You might want to consult with your extension agent, as to when to apply. I made the mistake one year applying in April, and with a wet Spring, I wasn't able to cut until late June. I had a bumper crop, but, using the MoCo, had to mow in 1rst gear, and in the low side on my IH 656. The reel was literally pulling out Rye Grass by the roots, before it got to the cutter bar. Lesson learned, I don't spread it now, until after making first cutting.

 

[powerscol]

My local COOP will blend too. I get my 1000lbs in a bulk bag. Bag is just 15$

 

[fishheadbob]

Check locally where farmers buy their bulk fertilizer. Depending on how much you need, they will blend it, and you can spread all in 1 trip. I usually only need around 850 lbs to do my 4 acres of hay ground,but a local supplier will gladly blend it, and load it on my 1 ton dump truck. Takes me about 15 minutes to shovel it into my cone spreader, but sure beats making 3 trips over the field.

If you don't have a truck/trailer suitable to haul it in, they have spreaders you can use. Not sure what additional cost would be though.

Great advice. My local mill can blend up about anything. I have often used one of their spreaders which had the proper blend in it, nice flotation tires, and I don't think they even charged for it if I got it back quickly. It beat shoveling or even opening and poring 20 or 30 bags into a cone spreader. If I ever wanted to go bigger they would show up with one of their very specialized spreader trucks and bang out a lot of acreage in no time. It helps if you are flexible about when you want to do it. I recall that a big dairy was fertilizing several hundred acres tieing up a lot of the mill capabilities, could I please do it a few days later..

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

If this was my field, and if it was in Ky, and if I was to use all of my 30 years of experience in the fertilizer business I would recommend 100lbs of Urea(46-0-0) 100 lbs of (Dap) 18-46-0 and 100 lbs of muriate of potash per acre. That would give you a blend of 64-46-60.Your soil sample calls for 70-39-60. I used 100 lbs of each just to keep it simple. Or plan B would be 300 lbs of bagged 19-19-19 per acre which gives you a 57-57-57 blend and if the filler in the triple 19 is lime that may help with your pH. Some other things to consider. If you can find Potash in bags or can can locate a drawbar pull fertilizer buggy/spreader apply some Potash/DAP in the fall (Sept/Oct). Most drawbar pull spinner type spreaders will not spread less than 100 lbs or product per acre very well. if you are in a area that has limestone quarries you might find someone to haul you out some ag lime(crushed limestone rock). Much more cost effective them pelleted lime but much more difficult to spread. Let me finish by saying I'm not trying to tell you what to do. It's your place you do as you please. All of my experience is in KY and Indiana but may be helpful in your situation. Holler back.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Good timing on this thread! I was just looking to do some food plot prep and was considering buying a used 3pt cone spreader (They sell fast around here these last few weeks!) and figuring up bags of lime and all.
Then remembering back on the farm, dad had a company just do the fertilizing of our hay fields so I decided I should see if I could buy in bulk cheaper and actually found a place that on their website it states they rent a 4 ton spreader. I need to call and get prices and availability.

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

Good to hear from you Bear. I hope things are going well in Texas. Something to consider is that most pull type spinner spreaders wont spread ag lime very well(crushed limestone rock is to dense/heavy) but pelleted lime is usually fine. A common practice here is to have the fertilizer facility to mix the seed with the fertilizer and do it together. The seed wont spread as far as fertilizer so double spread it. For instance, if the spreader spreads fertilizer at a 40 foot pattern then cut the lbs/per acre rate in half and go over the field twice. You get better seed coverage that way. More simply put, cut the rate in half and spread the entire field at 40 foot then come back and "split the tracks" giving you a 20 foot spread twice.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Good to hear from you Bear. I hope things are going well in Texas. Something to consider is that most pull type spinner spreaders wont spread ag lime very well(crushed limestone rock is to dense/heavy) but pelleted lime is usually fine. A common practice here is to have the fertilizer facility to mix the seed with the fertilizer and do it together. The seed wont spread as far as fertilizer so double spread it. For instance, if the spreader spreads fertilizer at a 40 foot pattern then cut the lbs/per acre rate in half and go over the field twice. You get better seed coverage that way. More simply put, cut the rate in half and spread the entire field at 40 foot then come back and "split the tracks" giving you a 20 foot spread twice.

I bought a bag of the Ag Lime to mix into our garden compost and the soil in some raised beds last weekend. I was curious if a spreader could spread it so I dumped about 5 lbs in the lawn spreader and just like you said, it didn't work very well. I figure the feedstore/mill place renting the spreader already knows that and will probably only offer pelleted lime. I only plan to do a couple 1/2-1 acre plots, so while maybe not a bulk discount like a large acre farmer would get, it should still be cheaper and easier than buying a ton or two by the 50lb bags and spreading. I need to remember to call tomorrow and get actual prices. Back on the farm we always did Lime months ahead of fertilizer or seed. The food plot seeds I bought say similar so this first pass will just be lime then disk it in, wait and spread seed and fertilizer in a month.

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

What's commonly used as a food plot in Texas?

 

[Bearsixty7]

What's commonly used as a food plot in Texas?

I actually hunt in southern Oklahoma. Not sure about common, but what I have seen suggested is 40lbs cowpeas, 40lbs oats, 10lbs arrowleaf clover per acre. Some of what's available locally that I've found is forage oats, triticale, forage turnips, and red clover mix. Another is cereal grains, clovers, rape, and radish.

To note, even though I'm in my fifties, My dad wasn't a hunter so I never really hunted much regularly until the last 6-8 years (I shot skeet and sporting clays for the last 30+ years and I shot 3-4 pheasant in NE about 20 years ago with some co-worker friends on a hunting trip), mostly to get my son out there. We're a pretty good dove blasting team and that was our first hunting together and we usually get more than the other fathers and sons. But no luck deer hunting yet.

Here's one of my "hunting stories". Last year I had a couple decent 4pt & 6pt bucks go by out between 100-200 yards from the stand of the lane I'm hunting but I was holding out for this huge 8 point that was captured on the cameras. It was late in the season and this big buck slowly appeared about 70-80 yards away in the lane, first one to ever cross there that close but looked like a 6 pt in the brush and I only had a 30 foot wide opening between the trees.
I scope him and try counting tines and judging his size and then take aim then back to his antlers as he's slowly crossing the lane from treeline to treeline never turning his head. He gets to the other side and I figure if I can still get a clean shot I'll settle for him but I can't he's now in the thick brush and I can just see the top of his head. He for some reason turns and I clearly see 8 points and there may have been more lower! Argh!
BIL said later why didn't I just grunt to stop him and get him to turn. Well yeah, If I was more experienced I might have thought to do that. LOL!
Oh well, I still love hunting and just being outdoors even though I'm 0 for 4 deer hunting. each year has given me more opportunities but I guess I'm to selective still.

I also come to realize the majority of the Bucks where I hunt are scrawny and need better forage and attractant so that's what I hope to achieve this year.

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

We do a spring and fall planting here. Spring is usually cow peas or forage soybeans with red or ladino clover. Sometimes I値l plant yellow corn depending on what neighbors are planting. Fall is Austrian peas, clover, and crop crop wheat.

 

[3gunr]

food plots can be addicting. I enjoy working the soil and planting as much as hunting, Turnips radishes oats and winter rye are my go to seeds, Lime fertilize till cultipack seed cultipack again , pray for rain. & months till deer season ,cant wait, I am putting 10 acres in crp this yr so i will have a lot to get done by May, Should be fun.

 

[Farmer495]

Your pH is good, not sure what commercial blends you have available, but I'd pick one close and do it in one pass.

For example blends I have used

550 lb/acre of 12-24-24 would almost give you your N & K with a 92lb/acre surplus of P.

670lb/acre of 18-6-18 would give you exact P&K with a 50lb/acre N surplus

 

[RalphVa]

I'm a master gardener and retired chemical engineer. We had a little bit on soil analysis during our training, but our local agent was the only one authorized to read the soil sample results when they came back from VT. I really like the Clemson report MUCH better and agree that their recommendation to use the 15-0-15 fert fits your analysis. You're only low on potassium (the 3rd one of those fert NPK #s) and probably on N, which is too movable to analyze.

Don't really think you need lime, because your pH is 6.2. I'm happy if it above 6 (vs. our natural 5.5 in Va), and it takes A WHOLE LOT to get to an ideal of around 6.5-6.8. If you want to get some lime, I'd just mix it it 50/50 with your 15-0-15 fert and apply it the way you've usually done it, maybe a tad heavier because you have the lime mixed in, and it will dilute the fert.

Ralph

 

[Bearsixty7]

food plots can be addicting. I enjoy working the soil and planting as much as hunting, Turnips radishes oats and winter rye are my go to seeds, Lime fertilize till cultipack seed cultipack again , pray for rain. & months till deer season ,cant wait, I am putting 10 acres in crp this yr so i will have a lot to get done by May, Should be fun.

This will be my first time doing it, but it is kind of exciting, the researching, planning and an excuse to use the tractor more!
Then the hopes of bigger and better Game this Fall!

 

[RalphVa]

If this was my field, and if it was in Ky, and if I was to use all of my 30 years of experience in the fertilizer business I would recommend 100lbs of Urea(46-0-0) 100 lbs of (Dap) 18-46-0 and 100 lbs of muriate of potash per acre. That would give you a blend of 64-46-60.Your soil sample calls for 70-39-60. I used 100 lbs of each just to keep it simple. Or plan B would be 300 lbs of bagged 19-19-19 per acre which gives you a 57-57-57 blend and if the filler in the triple 19 is lime that may help with your pH. Some other things to consider. If you can find Potash in bags or can can locate a drawbar pull fertilizer buggy/spreader apply some Potash/DAP in the fall (Sept/Oct). Most drawbar pull spinner type spreaders will not spread less than 100 lbs or product per acre very well. if you are in a area that has limestone quarries you might find someone to haul you out some ag lime(crushed limestone rock). Much more cost effective them pelleted lime but much more difficult to spread. Let me finish by saying I'm not trying to tell you what to do. It's your place you do as you please. All of my experience is in KY and Indiana but may be helpful in your situation. Holler back.

He's already high in Phosphorus (the P in NPK of fert #s) but low on Potassium (the K in NPK). He needs the 15-0-15 that Clemson mentions.