MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Man, the new guy's cup runneth over with good advice. Good work all. One thought I'd add to all this before jumping to action...
I would get that soil test right away. You're far enough east, you may be in the old prevailing wind spray pattern from the dirty smoke stacks of yesteryear. You might be dealing with pH in the 4's if it's virgin ground. If that is the case, you'll want to know some pretty important info before you get to buying amendments. And this means getting a soil test that's gonna cost $25-$30, but they can save you thousands.
Be sure your test includes:
Base saturation tests of calcium, magnesium, hydrogen, sodium, and potassium.
CEC measurement
Soil pH
Buffer pH
Clay requires way more lime than sand for a given pH. Type of lime you get will determine which way your soil functions after application. Will it get a little better, or become a worse version of what it already was? I'm talking about sand getting dryer, or clay getting harder or more greasy.
If you're on the sandy side of the spectrum, you're in good shape. Tractor Supply pell (in the lime green plastic bag) will be a great product and not require much. If it's heavy smear clay, and in the 4's, that's a whole new ball of twine.
Knowing your buffer pH could be the difference between a pickup load of bags per acre, or a side dump of bulk.
I would get that soil test right away. You're far enough east, you may be in the old prevailing wind spray pattern from the dirty smoke stacks of yesteryear. You might be dealing with pH in the 4's if it's virgin ground. If that is the case, you'll want to know some pretty important info before you get to buying amendments. And this means getting a soil test that's gonna cost $25-$30, but they can save you thousands.
Be sure your test includes:
Base saturation tests of calcium, magnesium, hydrogen, sodium, and potassium.
CEC measurement
Soil pH
Buffer pH
Clay requires way more lime than sand for a given pH. Type of lime you get will determine which way your soil functions after application. Will it get a little better, or become a worse version of what it already was? I'm talking about sand getting dryer, or clay getting harder or more greasy.
If you're on the sandy side of the spectrum, you're in good shape. Tractor Supply pell (in the lime green plastic bag) will be a great product and not require much. If it's heavy smear clay, and in the 4's, that's a whole new ball of twine.
Knowing your buffer pH could be the difference between a pickup load of bags per acre, or a side dump of bulk.