These pots of variegated tropical carpetgrass (Axonopus compressus) received an application of granular 16-16-16 fertilizer twelve days before this photo was taken. The grass on the right responded with a lot more growth than did the grass at left.
On February 28, 2020, I cut some Wana manilagrass rhizomes to a two node length and planted those two node rhizomes in four sand-filled pots. After eight days, I applied the first fertilizer treatment.
On February 28, I planted ‘Wana’ manilagrass as two node rhizomes in sand-filled pots. All pots have had irrigation and rainfall. One pot has not been fertilized. One has received only N from urea.
I was reading the “Cultural Aspects of Disease Management” chapter in Management of Turfgrass Diseases by Dr. Vargas and came across this gem about soil pH:
“Most of the literature tells you that the soil pH should be maintained at the optimum level for turfgrass growth (between 6 and 7).
The MLSN guideline for phosphorus (P) is 21 ppm. I usually recommend enough P fertilizer to keep soil P, as measured by the Mehlich 3 extractant, from dropping below 21 ppm.
After last week’s post about the soil test levels where P deficiency symptoms were seen, Paul Johnson wrote to remind me about another experiment:
“This is always a topic of interest to me, beginning with the study I did in the early 2000s.
Every time I see a photo like the one shared by Ben Pease last month, I get really curious to know the soil test levels of the element.
Phosphorus deficient bentgrass.