[Tellycoleman]

I was very impressed with the soil test from Waypoint Analytical. thanks to @thegrassfactor for mentioning them to me.
Lets start with what I like
1) Speed- I sent the soil sample by UPS ground last Tuesday Feb 27th I sent 2 samples in ziploc bags front and side yard cost to ship$7 I received an email the next day that my package was received and to create a login. (didnt hurt that the lab was in Memphis) The soil test was done Thursday and an email was sent to me. Better than any Co-op
2) Price = the test S3M is what i ordered. It is $16.50 It included everything I wanted but does not test for nitrogen which i wanted so I had to pay $3.50 for that. If you want a soil texture test done it will cost $25.( texture tells you what type of soil you have i.e. clay -loom-sand and the percentages of each.
3) Customer service. I called them and they walked me step by step on what I needed and asked me questions about what I was wanting. A++ customer service. No phone calls answered by someone from India.
4)Via our secure Web Portal, we offer free to existing clients the ability to find old reports and invoices, track existing samples still in process in the lab with partial data being available, and new features such as the Cart Manager which allows you to graph trends by analyte(s) over a specified timeframe.

What I didnt like is very simple and only one thing
The website is confusing very confusing. Their are 2 different Turf and Landscape soil sample forms online.
There is nothing to tell you what you need to order or what you need. There are so many test that can be done. Soil test , Disease test of plants, water test, chemical test that you can get overwhelmed. Filling out the form is confusing.
NO Price information is even online and you don't get an invoice.
However, with all that said, their customer service is so absolutely wonderful and they will tell you all you need to know.

Oh yeah This is my soil test. I guess I dont need P and K. I am going to apply some RGS to aid in unlocking this from my soil.

I will include how to fill out the form shortly.
Just an excellent resource

 

[Mightyquinn]

I just saw this on TGF's live feed and saw that you mentioned them. Looks like a great soil test!

Looks like you don't have much to do for the soil, even your Iron is high!

 

[Tellycoleman]

Yeah that was a surprise to me.
My last fertilizer was put down in mid September.

 

[Bunnysarefat]

Pretty good looking little soil test results. And that is pretty good detail on the results form. So great to know where you're at so you don't have to guess.

 

[Mightyquinn]

Looks like they have a lab in Wilson, NC too!

 

[Ware]

...but does not test for nitrogen which i wanted so I had to pay $3.50 for that...

Is this because regular Nitrogen apps are more or less a given for turf grass?

 

[Ridgerunner]

...but does not test for nitrogen which i wanted so I had to pay $3.50 for that...

Is this because regular Nitrogen apps are more or less a given for turf grass?

Pretty much, for the same reasons anyway. Nitrate is very transitory (not accounting for the variations in levels due to micro-life use) so it fairly quickly moves down and out of the root zone (4-6 weeks). It's the reason the effects of N apps seem to "ware" off in about a month. Consequently, a single tested value on a soil report isn't very useful for making an application plan. To be of any real value, you'd want to create a record of monthly tested values (with corresponding tissue testing), then you could adjust monthly applications to maintain "optimal" levels. Diagnostics is another possibility, but that should also include testing ammonium N levels as well as nitrate N levels. e.g. Per PACE, nitrate N levels for turf should be about 20 ppm and ammonium levels shouldn't exceed 7 ppm, but you'd only want to get in that deep if you had really significant performance issues and you're searching for an answer before you pulled your hair out.

 

[Tellycoleman]

...but does not test for nitrogen which i wanted so I had to pay $3.50 for that...

Is this because regular Nitrogen apps are more or less a given for turf grass?

That is the reason I was given for the Nitrogen
This is the correct form needed to fill out. The other form (turff landscape form) is NOT the correct form
Everything I have highlighted in yellow and red are required fields,
The red section is the test section. You have the choice of s1m or - s2m with individual test or - s3m that includes all of the s1m and s2m test. I used the s3m
The sample ID is what you name your sample,
The Intended crop code is the number under the section turf grass I picked #524.

 

[Tellycoleman]

To be of any real value, you'd want to create a record of monthly tested values (with corresponding tissue testing), then you could adjust monthly applications to maintain "optimal" levels.
CRAP the quote thingy didnt work :lol: quote above from @Ridgerunner

Waypoint will do tissue testing. if you want to get that deep into the rabbit hole.
Wait i sound like a commercial.
I have no affiliation with them

 

[Ridgerunner]

@Tellycoleman
Did you pay for a textural analysis or is the analysis on your report a calculation that they provide as part of the s3m package? Also, were the nutrient application recommendations part of the package or were they an additional fee?
There is a lot to like about Wayside. Price, the number of regional labs, the variety of tests available, the variety of test packages, and a great report format. I don't know a lot about Wayside's reputation as they are a pretty new entrant, but their labs were former A&L entities. The only thing I don't care for is it looks like they calculate buffer pH rather than one of the traditional extraction methods.
BTW, Thanks for the review and sharing. :thumbup:

 

[Ridgerunner]

To be of any real value, you'd want to create a record of monthly tested values (with corresponding tissue testing), then you could adjust monthly applications to maintain "optimal" levels.
CRAP the quote thingy didnt work :lol: quote above from @Ridgerunner

Waypoint will do tissue testing. if you want to get that deep into the rabbit hole.
Wait i sound like a commercial.
I have no affiliation with them

That would probably get your name on a "no fly" list and a stay in a padded room hotel. :lol:

 

[Tellycoleman]

@Tellycoleman
Did you pay for a textural analysis or is the analysis on your report a calculation that they provide as part of the s3m package? Also, were the nutrient application recommendations part of the package or were they an additional fee?
There is a lot to like about Wayside. Price, the number of regional labs, the variety of tests available, the variety of test packages, and a great report format. I don't know a lot about Wayside's reputation as they are a pretty new entrant, but their labs were former A&L entities. The only thing I don't care for is it looks like they calculate buffer pH rather than one of the traditional extraction methods.
BTW, Thanks for the review and sharing. :thumbup:

LOL LOL
I fly helicopters. No fly list would be no good for me.
I did pay for the texture analysis separately. in the past I did a mason jar test and everyone I ever talked to said I had heavy clay soil. So being the "wanting to see it for myself" type of person I paid for it . Surprise!! Loom soil which matches with the online tennesse soil survey.
The soil recommendation part comes with the S3M test at no additional fee. I am not sure if it comes with the S1 or S2.

For those on well water it also gives a very impressive result. I have a saltwater tank that was experiencing problems and I sent in the water sample from my tank and the source water. Results= Increase copper levels in source water which is harmless until you have 2 years of evaporation and concentration of copper.

 

[Ridgerunner]

@Tellycoleman Thank you.

 

[Ware]

Thanks for sharing Telly - I'm sending off a sample to Waypoint tomorrow. :thumbsup:

 

[Pete1313]

@Tellycoleman thanks for Sharing and giving your review. I found a link to this thread when going thru Ridgerunner's soil test thread. I will be giving Waypoint a try this year. :thumbsup:

I wonder if this review should get moved to the equipment or general discussions forum in case it was missed by some cool season members.

 

[GrassDaddy]

You stated you don't need K, but it appears to me it says to apply 1lb/k of K at the bottom? Or am I misreading? Also that's over the full season right?

 

[Tellycoleman]

Yes you are correct, @GrassDaddy about the K. It will get done with my first of the year starter fertilizer application.
Im trying to research alot right now about the Cation exchange capacity of the soil. But right now im still confused. I believe it has something to do with the ability of the soil to hold nutrients.
I am wondering if this is what RGS products try to improve. @thegrassfactor

If moderators feel the need to move this thread for the benefit of all grass types feel free.

The prices that I mentioned are from the Memphis lab. Some labs may have slight variations in prices (I was told)

 

[thegrassfactor]

+1 for memphis - 901 for life

CECs are the soils ability to retain nutrients

the N-Ext line of products are humic based. humic has a CEC of like 700. It's bananas.

What it comes down to - the more surface area a soil has, the more it self functions.

 

[g-man]

Potassium (K) is water soluble and will leach into the groundwater. As you add nitrogen to make the lawn grow and the weather is good, it will also draw more from the available potassium. PACE has a nice excel file that helps estimate how much your lawn could consume per month/year. For my area, I should use around 90ppm of K per year. Therefore I need to at least replace that amount if I bag my clippings. Therefore we should always need to replenish K.

Cation exchange capacity is a function of your soil structure and its ability keep nutrients with the soil. The larger the soil structure (sand), the more air between the particles and less surface area and less available cations. This means that for a lower CEC, the "faster" it will travel thru and go into the groundwater. There is not a lot you could do to change it. You could replace your soil, but that's expensive. Adding organic matter helps to increase your CEC overtime. Aerating to incorporate OM would be a good idea.

If you have a low CEC, you will benefit of more frequent applications (half rate twice a month instead of full rate ever month).

If you want to get your own excel table, https://www.paceturf.org/journal

 

[Ware]

...If moderators feel the need to move this thread for the benefit of all grass types feel free...

I moved it to General Discussion, but left a "shadow topic" in place in Warm Season.