Soil Test Results- Help! Low P & High K

yakngrow

Member
So I recently got my soil test back from my local soil center. I took samples from about 20 spots in two areas within 20 yards of each other and combined them for the analysis. Here is the results
Test #1 PH 6.9
N-n/a
P-9 ( which is very low according to their scale)
K-194 (high according to their scale)
Ca- 2396 (considered sufficient)
Mg- 169 (considered sufficient)

Test #2 PH 6.8
P- 10 (low)
K- 182 (high)
Ca- 3012 (sufficient)
Mg- 179 (sufficient)

Their scales
P 0-18 low, 19-30 medium, 31-120 high, 121+ very high
K 0-90 low, 91-160 medium, 161-320 high, 321+ very high

This is a mehlich soil test done at pounds per acre
I would like to fix this organically before i ammend the native soil with my super soil (promix base with all organic additives). Any suggestions?
 

SpicySativa

Well-Known Member
When you say "amend the soil with super soil", are you just talking about digging a big ass hole and filling it with super soil?

If that's the case, I think the structure of your native soil is much more important than it's chemical composition.

Does the soil drain well? If you dig a hole, say 1 ft by 1 ft by 1 ft deep and fill it with water, how long does it take to drain?

Regarding the "High K", this result is not so much saying that the K is "too high", as saying that it is high enough that you don't need to add more K to it. This is not to say that you shouldn't include K in your super soil, just that your roots will find plenty of K when they reach your native soil. Actually, your ratio of Ca to K just about matches Albrecht's recommendations. If anything your soil is a little low on magnesium in relation to Ca, but it's better to err on this side than have an excess of Mg in relation to Ca.

Regarding the low P, I wouldn't be worried about that either. If you feel like it, spreading a layer of soft rock phosphate in the bottom of the hole will help raise the P. This gain in plant available P may not be fully realized during the first year (you may need to feed/top dress some P if you grow big trees). BUT, if you plan to use the same plot next year, you'll be ahead of the game if you add the soft rock phosphate now.

Good luck!
 

yakngrow

Member
SpicySativa- My version of super soil is promix hp biofungicide with chicken manure, cow manure, goat manure, worm castings, diamatiocous earth, espoma garden tone and a lil flowertone, greensand, kelp meal, and a little extra perlite. I mix that on a 1:1 ratio with native.
 
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