Pull soil samples and put out lime now
Fall is the best time to find out what your pastures need. A soil test and a little lime now can mean more grass next spring for less money.
Why lime matters
A lot of Georgia soil is naturally acidic. UGA's soil lab reports that more than 40 percent of the samples it tests need lime. When pH runs low, nutrients like phosphorus and calcium get locked up in the soil, so the fertilizer you paid for never makes it to the grass.
Most pastures and hayfields do their best with a pH around 6.0 to 6.5. Lime is how you get there.
Why now
Lime is slow. It takes several months to fully react and bring the pH up. Spread it this fall and it's doing its job by spring green-up, right when your grass needs it. Wait until spring and you're a season behind.
How to pull a good soil sample
Your test results are only as good as the sample you send in. Here's how to do it right.
- Split your land into areas. Fields with different soil, history or problems each get their own sample. Skip feeding areas, gates, fence lines, old lime or fertilizer piles and manure spots.
- Use clean tools. A steel probe or spade and a plastic bucket work best. Galvanized buckets or leftover fertilizer can throw off your results.
- Go 4 inches deep. For pastures and hayfields, clear off the thatch and sample the top 4 inches of soil.
- Pull plenty of cores. Walk a zigzag across the area and take 10 to 20 cores. As a rule of thumb, that's about 10 for 5 acres, 15 for 10 acres and 20 for 20 acres.
- Mix and bag it. Stir the cores together well, then fill a soil sample bag with about 2 cups of the mix. Label it so you know which field it came from.
- Drop it off. Take your samples to your county UGA Extension office and tell them what you're growing. Results come back with lime and fertilizer recommendations for that crop.
Reading your results
Your report will show your soil pH, a lime recommendation and your levels of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and more. If magnesium comes back low, dolomitic lime adds magnesium along with raising pH. Keep each year's report so you can see how your fields are trending.
How we can help
Bring your soil report by the store. Our Certified Crop Advisor will help you turn it into a lime and fertilizer plan for your fields. We carry lime and fertilizer, and we can custom blend fertilizer and spread it for you.
Sampling guidance from UGA Extension's Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories.