Awesome info and link, Sue, thank you so much. It is great to learn more background information on the data that soil tests will produce, and my kit won't arrive for four to seven days so I have some time to explore a bit more before I go digging in the gardens. Mine will be the type that will measure NO3, P2O5, and K20, at about 92% accuracy to commercial tests, and uses a built-in colorimetric scan to identify the results. Perhaps I can also try to get a full nitrate set of tests done professionally to get a better picture of the different elements of it, as that might be the most affordable route overall, for me. I've learned from the USDA site that areas affected by drought conditions may also increase N to toxic levels (even livestock cannot feed on some plants at that level) from build up that comes from those other sources you mentioned ("ammonium (NH4) and nitrate ... which has to be converted to NH4 and then NO3 by soil microbes before the plants can use it. Thus there can, in effect, be N there in organic form for the future that isn't measured [in NO3-based tests].)
It sounds like learning more about the various kinds and types of daylily related diseases would really help me understand what problems might be encountered or avoided if I end up with high or low results. I'd feel more confident to know more before I consider adding OMRI approved organic material or fertilizers to adjust the nutrient mix. So, I'll aim for the "medium" range you mentioned as a kind of balance point to establish a generally beneficial range for daylily health, and work from there in terms of possibly adjusting the soil any further.
If I could also create a small area in which I could adjust the nutrients to higher and lower ends of the spectrum, to look further at how it might impact different fans of the same cultivar, and any diseases that might result, it would be great to learn more about the interaction of nutrition and daylily health, perhaps even about how to anticipate or watch for specific conditions. I'll try to search out more info on nutrient associations with daylily diseases, but would also love a nudge if you might already know of any!
I'll try to start on a list in this thread of common daylily diseases, pets, and other conditions, and how they may be approached with organic practices and products (when needed) based on Sue's
http://www.daylilies.org/ahs_d... and other sources, and expand as more information is explored - additions and corrections welcome:
http://garden.org/thread/view_...
