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Mass confusion on Ph, soil tests and fertility
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Brandon
Posted 11/18/2025 22:14 (#11439382)
Subject: Mass confusion on Ph, soil tests and fertility


Illinois		I know none of this is an exact science. Please help me understand some of it and share your thoughts and experiences.

This is midwestern corn/ soybean land. I’ve always looked at soil Ph. I know buffer Ph exists as a measurement and always thought it was an indication as to how much or how quickly an application of lime would raise soil Ph. A higher buffer Ph would see more of a positive response to lime application and more quickly raise soil Ph to an acceptable level. Now the retailer is telling me that buffer Ph is more important than that, even so much as saying a certain farm with soil Ph of 5.8 and buffer Ph of 7.2 does not need any lime. Please help.

With commercial fertilizer costs being where they are, especially phosphorus, I’ve begun to question things harder than I ever have. There is a camp of folks out there who say we don’t need to add phosphorus to our soils, that there is enough reserve that will become available to plants over time. Others say focus on adding phosphorus and save money by skipping potassium. Is there a right answer?

I’d like to rely on soil tests. But now I’m told testing after corn is not as accurate as testing after beans, and very dry soils can skew tests way low, along with other factors that almost make test results not worth the paper they are written on. Is it extreme to think that we should just use soil tests as a rough guide to tell us whether a farm is in poor shape or “good” shape?

How do you all base your P&K application rates? Variable rate based on removal only using yield data? Variable rate based on grid samples and yield goals? If so, what if the tests are “just a guide”? Straight rates?

I haven’t even brought up micronutrients. Once I get a handle on the macros, I’ll try to learn more about the micros.
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