How long after applying a tea before any type of soil test?

In my haste, I applied a tea (made with barley for enzymes & ewc/ancient forest otherwise) to the soil/pots in between runs to give them a refresher and let some break down of existing root materials to occur before getting ready to run again. I had previously done a test on the original soil but did amend with a little more P input and had been running MammothP during. I also towards the end got some trace inputs (BAS Big6) and used once and included some in the tea that was just applied (not brewed with, but added along with some Recharge this time around).

I'm now wondering how my tea in particular (but the Q is meant to be broader) will skew any type of soil testing and if there's some period of time I should wait or other steps to take before trying to get my samples prepared to submit for the test. For this test I'll be trying the Soil Savvy again since that was the initial test and want to compare them directly.

NewGrower2011 said:

In my haste, I applied a tea (made with barley for enzymes & ewc/ancient forest otherwise) to the soil/pots in between runs to give them a refresher and let some break down of existing root materials to occur before getting ready to run again. I had previously done a test on the original soil but did amend with a little more P input and had been running MammothP during. I also towards the end got some trace inputs (BAS Big6) and used once and included some in the tea that was just applied (not brewed with, but added along with some Recharge this time around).

I'm now wondering how my tea in particular (but the Q is meant to be broader) will skew any type of soil testing and if there's some period of time I should wait or other steps to take before trying to get my samples prepared to submit for the test. For this test I'll be trying the Soil Savvy again since that was the initial test and want to compare them directly.

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shouldn't skew it hardly at all. teas like what you described are very very low nutrient content, and far more organismal/enzymatic.

The enzyme action making things 'available' was what I was wondering if that would cause the reported soluble levels to be elevated. Was definitely avoiding anything that would contribute any actual macro/micro inputs until I knew where things stood. I'll probably just give it a day or two and then submit - got the kit sitting here/ready otherwise. Curious to see if there's a notable decline in the elevated levels of N/K especially after 1 run.

NewGrower2011 said:

The enzyme action making things 'available' was what I was wondering if that would cause the reported soluble levels to be elevated. Was definitely avoiding anything that would contribute any actual macro/micro inputs until I knew where things stood. I'll probably just give it a day or two and then submit - got the kit sitting here/ready otherwise. Curious to see if there's a notable decline in the elevated levels of N/K especially after 1 run.

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i'm interested in your results, so be sure to post them!

NewGrower2011 said:

For this test I'll be trying the Soil Savvy again since that was the initial test and want to compare them directly.

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The Soil Savvy test will test for what is soluble and it can be confusing when you get the results. If you were doing a Mehlich 3 test, I wouldn't be worried about it. However, if it is mostly a microbial tea, then it might not matter. Sometimes, having a Mehlich 3 test is more helpful than the Soil Savvy. I skewed the Soil Savvy test before by topdressing with oyster shell flour a week before I tested. It showed that calcium and Ph was very high because it was soluble at the time... I hope that I am making sense... When I was low on Boron, I soil drenched with borax and it showed that B was 15x too high and my Ph was mid-high 4's... I knew that I messed up and got a Mehlich 3 test and it was near perfect. I'm sure that everyone wants to see the test results? I'll post after my basketball game is over...

NewGrower2011 said:

The enzyme action making things 'available' was what I was wondering if that would cause the reported soluble levels to be elevated. Was definitely avoiding anything that would contribute any actual macro/micro inputs until I knew where things stood. I'll probably just give it a day or two and then submit - got the kit sitting here/ready otherwise. Curious to see if there's a notable decline in the elevated levels of N/K especially after 1 run.

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What you are trying to do with the soil test should be done with a Mehlich 3 test... It will show the total amount of nutrients present. The soil savvy test is helpful, but you really can't make changes before you test it. I'll cook my soil and use a soil savvy test before I plant, but it has been sitting for 4+ weeks. I'm not trying to make things harder, but help understand how these tests work. Learning these tests are a real pain and there wasn't anyone on this forum that really helped me understand it. Actually, I got ridiculed more than I got help!!!

Reading your original post again. How long has it been since you let the soil sit? How long ago did you add amendments? It's not a bad idea to have both soil tests done anyways because it will give you the whole picture. Traditionally, farmers would get the Mehlich 3 and Saturated paste test. The soil savvy test replaces the saturated paste test.

NewGrower2011 said:

Was definitely avoiding anything that would contribute any actual macro/micro inputs until I knew where things stood.

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You might be fine then...

NewGrower2011 said:

Curious to see if there's a notable decline in the elevated levels of N/K especially after 1 run.

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This is definitely a Mehlich 3 test situation. It's only $25 from Logan Labs, but you have to tell them to "weigh the scoop" for a lightweight medium.

https://www.loganlabs.com/soilless-media.html

A standard soil analysis is done on a volumetric basis. Scoops, of a fixed volume, are used in measuring the soil for analysis. The scoop size is based on an assumed average volume, which equates to a typical soil weighing two grams.

Logan Labs uses a 2-gram soil scoop for the standard analysis package, as well as nitrate and ammonium and all extra parameters that are provided on our standard soil report.

When using this scoop to sample a soilless medium, the result will be lighter than two grams. This will cause the concentration of nutrients in your sample to be underestimated.

To adjust for this, a scoop weight of your soil-less media will be determined and reported on your standard soil report analysis as a percentage of a standard two-gram sample. You must request a scoop weight of your soil-less media on the worksheet.

Soil scoops and sample weights are not included in the process for a saturated paste analysis. A volume of approximately one cup of medium is saturated with deionized, or client’s water.

ShLUbY said:

shouldn't skew it hardly at all. teas like what you described are very very low nutrient content, and far more organismal/enzymatic.

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I hope that your right. I'm no expert at this and I only went to the school of hard knocks. I spent plenty of money on soil tests though.

MustangStudFarm said:

I hope that your right. I'm no expert at this and I only went to the school of hard knocks. I spent plenty of money on soil tests though.

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I mean i'm just speculating haha. I don't know that I am right or not, but it seems logical.

ShLUbY said:

I mean i'm just speculating haha. I don't know that I am right or not, but it seems logical.

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I don't know if I am right either. If I am ever wrong, I take it as a learning exp and I don't get mad.. So, feel free to correct me. I mean, as long as you can teach me something lol.

With a microbial tea and nothing else, he might be alright... However, if you want to know the exact count of what is in the soil, then Mehlich 3. If you want to know why you are having problems with your soil, Soil Savvy. They both have their place in my toolbox.

Yeah I may consider doing both for the data points at least; Problem is I don't have the 'before' Mehlich/logan to compare with for this batch of soil. The one batch I first put together is one I used Logan for which that soil got replaced by this current batch and still is sitting unused since it was so damn hot (10x on some fronts). Close to 90+ gallons of that first batch sitting & cooking for well over a year now - maybe that'll go into some outdoor garden some day but it's a PIA to store until that day comes.

NewGrower2011 said:

Yeah I may consider doing both for the data points at least; Problem is I don't have the 'before' Mehlich/logan to compare with for this batch of soil. The one batch I first put together is one I used Logan for which that soil got replaced by this current batch and still is sitting unused since it was so damn hot (10x on some fronts). Close to 90+ gallons of that first batch sitting & cooking for well over a year now - maybe that'll go into some outdoor garden some day but it's a PIA to store until that day comes.

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I didn't mean to confuse you or anything. I think that you would be OK doing the soil savvy test if you are about to plant in it, that's what I think that it is best for. I use the Mehlich 3 when I am making a new batch of soil and I want exact #'s. The soil savvy is great for showing nutrient lockout. I never would have figured out micronutrient lockout without the soil savvy test! Curious, what was 10x too high? If the soil savvy is not showing lockout from things being too high, it might not be a problem.

The 10x was a batch I never used, so disregard it - the current batch is what I have here...

So a little before/after action...

Before:



Now keep in mind, I got this and knew it was light on the P so I did make a small amendment of soft rock phos and was using mammothP during this past run. Then after some time in flower (fairly early I thought) I saw various issues and finally invested in some BAS "Big6" for micros.

So after a full run with the amendments (P/micros) and a few teas throughout, I yanked the root balls out and took a sample across 3 plants and submitted for this new report. Surprisingly I'm actually low on N which was originally one of the 'over' nutrients. And I didn't have much veg time in this soil really - so with this time having a modest veg time I'm thinking I need to add some N input - hopefully something I don't need to let sit/cook for long ideally. I have neem and cottonseed meal on hands, need to see what else I'd have or want to order. I do have some fresh Azos on the way for a nitrogen fixing bacteria refresher - last little bit went into the tea I just made/applied between uses.

After:

Also - curious what folks think on pH level here and if any concerns; Originally had both gypsum and lime in the mix.

The other things I'm now contemplating is whether the high Mg/S/Na would present any challenges (lockout/toxicity issues/balance issues/etc) and what part of my mix contributed so much that it remains this high after 1 run. I believe my next goal is to find a suitable N input - perhaps one that helps raise pH just a teeny bit and is N only.

Can someone explain to me how the sulfur dropped soooo much? Is this perhaps really just lockout or did the prior run really chew through that much? If it really used that much then I'd say I'm low at this point and should look to raise it a tad somehow. Been studying the before/after numbers and then reading here & there on what impact I may expect from the changes.

NewGrower2011 said:

Also - curious what folks think on pH level here and if any concerns; Originally had both gypsum and lime in the mix.

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Soil Savvy is not the most accurate at testing Ph, remember that it is testing soluble nutrients. My last Soil Savvy test had me in the high 5's but I had it tested with my soil Ph meter and Logan Labs and they both showed high 6's for Ph. So, it's probably not an issue.

NewGrower2011 said:

The other things I'm now contemplating is whether the high Mg/S/Na would present any challenges (lockout/toxicity issues/balance issues/etc)

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Sulfur does not affect anything directly only the problems from Ph. Na will cause germination issues with seeds and your plants will look like they are thirsty when they are perfectly watered. Mg will make your soil clump and dense making oxygen levels lower(aeration). Mg-K-Ca-Na are your base saturation and they have an antagonistic realationship with eachother, too much of one will lower the others. Nothing looks locked out, so you might be alright. K needs to be double of the recommended amount and it looks right. Your 2nd soil test looks like it will be a lot better than the 1st that was showing low micronutrients. I also was dealing with low micronutrients and I think that it is more common than people think.

Don't over-do the N because an abundance will keep your roots from producing root exudes and it will cause low nutrient density in your plants. High K and low N is good for Brix levels. Curious, how did you raise your micronutrient levels?

I was able to lower my S and Na levels just by running water through the soil, but it will also lower your N and K levels. I had that problem with this batch of soil over the summer and the water hose fixed high Na and S. The S was keeping my Ph low and the Na was giving me horrible germination issues. I had to re-amend with kelp and alfalfa afterwards.

NewGrower2011 said:

Can someone explain to me how the sulfur dropped soooo much?

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Sulfur is one of the most easily bumped elements and Ca will bump a lot of things out of the soil.