Soil Sample Results

Conversations 3 · 08-03-2023 11:41am #1

Soil sample results below.

Silage Fields are 3/4 and 9/10.

Any tips on best fertilizers, where needs what ect. appreciated

Will go through it with my advisor as well.

White Clover · 08-03-2023 1:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058287365/soil-sample-results

Silage fields are low in K (potash). PH and P (Phosphorus) are very good.

High K fertilizer required but better spread in autumn to avoid luxury uptake by the plant during the growing season. Best bet is to fertilize for offtake this growing season and start building from the autumn onwards.

Conversations 3 · 08-03-2023 2:37pm

Thanks 👍

Was going to graze off and spread potash to cover the k and get slurry out to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer.

Hadn't thought about the up take affecting the silage.

Conversations 3 · 09-03-2023 10:31am

I've spread slurry on fields 1, 2 and 8 at approx 2600 gallons an acre.

I've worked out that the cattle slurry is giving the field approx:

29kg N per Ha

14.5kg P per Ha Only needs 7-19

101kg K per Ha Only needs 60, 90 & 30

These are grazing fields so will this cancel out the fertilizer needed?

Am I looking at this correctly?

farmingquestion · 10-03-2023 5:15pm

How do you read these results?

Conversations 3 · 11-03-2023 2:16pm

If you see the results it says Field one PH is 6.20 which is low, then it gives you the tonnes required per hectare to bring the ph up.

Same with the P section, the blue numbers are index 1 so it's particularly low in that field. For silage then the field needs 70kg per hectare of phosphorus.

Same then again with the K results.

Jb1989 · 11-03-2023 3:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120344900#Comment_120344900

The dept soil sample report used opposite colours, red for poor, and blue (or what looks like purple) as high. Easy enough to not understand it.

Screenshot_20230311_141111_com.google.android.apps.docs.jpg

blue5000 · 14-03-2023 10:19am

I have to admit I was very pleasantly surprised with how good my P levels are with the dept soil test results. Considering I haven’t had to use any P for the last 10 years, I was in REPS first then GLAS, always index 3 or 4. Have a silage field index 2 but that was ploughed a couple of years ago for kale/barley/arable silage.

Still waiting on the OM results.

bogman_bass · 23-03-2023 10:50am

Got results back this morning and everything seems very high.

for example one field that required 8.75 tonnes of lime per ha 6 years ago and got none since the. Due to access now came up as needing none. P and K very high too considering I took a P and K holiday last year

dmakc · 23-03-2023 1:08pm

First year renting a field with Index 1 [both P & K], Would 30P & 100K still give good quality silage? Then slurry afterwards could help build it on a more long term basis?

White Clover · 23-03-2023 2:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391264#Comment_120391264

Ideally 40P and 150K but probably best to just go with 100k for fear of luxury uptake by the plant.

Limestone Cowboy · 23-03-2023 11:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390703#Comment_120390703

Was it tested with the same lab. Heard that some are more accurate than others.

bogman_bass · 24-03-2023 2:07am

Same lab.

i would be inclined to agree with the old results. I don’t remember it ever getting lime.

Conversations 3 · 24-03-2023 12:11pm

What is best way to spread fert and slurry to build up p and k?

Potash first then slurry, then wait of week or two for the nitrogen?

dmakc · 06-04-2023 4:29pm

How would you go about lowering pH from 8?

Itryhard · 06-04-2023 5:54pm

Hi, how do you go about getting results? I got some results but not all. Contacted the guy coordinating the testing and he didn't respond (his job is done I suppose)

Say my name · 06-04-2023 7:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120448535#Comment_120448535

Apply aluminium.

No. If you haven't applied sulphur before maybe a bit. Gypsum probably if you can get it.

Has that land been amended with beach sand at any time. Do you know?

Say my name · 06-04-2023 7:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120448897#Comment_120448897

Is this in the dept testing scheme?

dmakc · 06-04-2023 7:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449098#Comment_120449098

Thanks. Don't know tbh it's my first year grazing it. Was tillage before this with someone else

Say my name · 06-04-2023 7:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449150#Comment_120449150

Must have been what they call plaggen land.

The tillage in itself would bring down the pH.

Or else you are in a lime pit.

As much dung, slurry or compost as you can to get to neutral. But tbh it sounds like even that may be short term. Hard to really know.

dmakc · 06-04-2023 9:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449191#Comment_120449191

Cheers I'll lace it with dung + slurry before the ploughing. Its low on P & K anyway

With regards to the high pH hat are the implications on the cattle grazing it? And how would it preserve if I was to bale it for silage?

Say my name · 06-04-2023 9:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449666#Comment_120449666

It shouldn't influence the silage preservation.

Mineral availability chart for pH range.

Limestone Cowboy · 06-04-2023 10:02pm

2 fields I reclaimed last year and the year before after coming back with a really high pH too.

Rusheseverywhere · 06-04-2023 10:12pm

I soil sample every 2 years. Got it done in 21 myself and done in 22 with Dept and the reports so different swear they are two different farms. The Dept one seems to make soils better than I know they are and at odds to years of other soil reports. Ph with Dept definitely wrong

Rusheseverywhere · 06-04-2023 10:14pm

I had a field that has always been 5.5 ph go to a 6.8 and it is 5.5ish a bottomy moory field

Say my name · 06-04-2023 10:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449732#Comment_120449732

Did you lime before the tests, after reclamation.

Limestone Cowboy · 06-04-2023 11:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449792#Comment_120449792

No never got a bit, only thing I can think of is we blinded the most of the place with white sand which in fairness is probably largely made up from ground up limestone given that it's a glacial valley. A certain amount of it would have got mixed with the topsoil while we were doing it even though I'd try to avoid it. Its strange because the other fields in the same area that wouldn't have been reclaimed all have a lime requirement. We don't really have subsoil here, have maybe 5" to 8" of really nice crumbly topsoil and white sand and rock straight beneath that. I've an outfarm a few miles away and the structure of it is completely different.

Itryhard · 07-04-2023 12:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449143#Comment_120449143

Yes please

bogman_bass · 07-04-2023 4:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120449779#Comment_120449779

I had the same happen. And it wasn’t a Dept. test. Either there has been so many tests going through the past few months that they haven’t time to calibrate equipment or they’ve been told to keep it high before the liming scheme comes out