By Mike Isbell
Georgia Extension Service
Volume XXVII
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Math never was one of my favorite subjects in school. I
developed my dislike
for it because of those problems we had to do on the
blackboard.
I remember always being last to finish my problem, only to
find out I did it
wrong. Peggy, the smart one in my class, always got it
right.
I realize most people my age have long forgotten about prime
numbers, lowest
common denominators, finding multiples and maybe even dividing
fractions.
But we’ll always have to do math. And unless you’re like my
91-year old dad,
who still knows this stuff, you may have a hard time
remembering how to figure
out math problems.
Math in the real world
That was the case the other day when a fellow came in to get
me to interpret
a soil test report he got from the University of Georgia’s
soil test lab.
Soils in Georgia are seldom perfect. Most can be improved in
some way to ensure
the best plant growth. A sample of the soil can be tested at
the lab, and the
report will recommend lime and fertilizer based on the
analysis.
For home lawns and gardens, the soil report is simple. It
will tell you to
use X amount, for example, of 5-10-15 or 10-10-10 fertilizer
for every 1,000
square feet of lawn or garden.
Of course, you still have to figure the square footage of
your own lawn or
garden, and those things are rarely square. Still, it’s
basically easy.
Farm ciphering more complex
For commercial and farm use, though, the soil report is a bit
harder to decipher.
It tells you the pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
you need to improve
the nutrient level in the soil.
The problem is you don’t just apply nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium. You
apply something like ammonium nitrate (34 percent nitrogen),
superphosphate
(20 percent phosphorus) and potash (60 percent potassium).
And you thought you’d never use algebra!
So you have to use your math skills to calculate how much you
actually have
to apply. But unless you remember your math, you may be like
me at the school
blackboard and find out you don’t know how to do this.
If you need help with your soil test, come by the Extension
office. Together,
you and your county agent can figure it out.
And if you can’t, let a sixth-grader help you.
