The Importance of a Soil Test
Soil is the foundation of a healthy lawn. The soil is essential for the growth of your lawn's roots system. It is essential to ensure that your soil contains all the necessary ingredients to help you grow a beautiful, healthy lawn.
A Soil Testing Kit can save you time, money, and aggravation. A soil test can tell you the contents of your soil and what it needs. The soil test removes all guesswork. A soil test can tell you how your soil is rated for pH, phosphorous and potassium. The soil test will also reveal the amount of clay, silt, and sand in your soil. It is vital to know what your soil contains. This information gives you the insight to determine what you should add to your soil.
Who does the soil test? There are many options to have your soil tested.
Home Soil Test It is possible to perform the soil test at home. You can purchase soil test kits at your local garden center. This is the cheapest option.
Local Agricultural Office/Local University – You can collect the soil sample and send it to your local university or agricultural office to have it tested. Although it's more expensive than a home soil test, this is a more thorough test.
Use a private laboratory - It is possible to take a soil sample and send it to a private lab for testing. Private labs will not provide the same thorough results as local universities or agricultural offices, but they are the most expensive.
Your soil's pH level can only be determined by a home soil test. Additional information is required to ensure your soil contains all the necessary ingredients for a healthy lawn.
Your local university, agricultural office or private laboratory will provide more detailed information. Your results will be returned within 3-4 weeks. The report includes information about your soil and recommendations for what you soil needs (e.g. The report includes information about your soil as well as recommendations on what your soil needs (i.e., lime, sulfur fertilizer, or organic matter).
How can I get a soil sample?
Your soil sample test results will only be as accurate as the soil samples that you have taken. The best results will be obtained if you collect at least 4-6 soil samples from your backyard and front yard.
To take the soil sample, make sure that you only use clean equipment. It is not a good idea to use equipment with rust or chemical residue. You will have inaccurate results and your sample will be contaminated.
To take your soil sample, you should use a trowel, core sampler or shovel. You should remove at least 3 inches of the soil top before taking your soil sample to be tested. Mix the soil samples in one container. Mix the soil samples together in a cup. Then, put the mixture into a container for your home soil test. Keep a separate sample for any problem areas in your yard.
What is the soil test report telling me?
The following information will be provided by your soil test report.
The pH level of your soil - This tells you if it is acidic (pH less than 6.7), neutral (pH 6.7 - 7.3) or alkaline (pH greater than 7.3). Lime is needed if your soil pH level is high. You will need to add sulfur if your soil is acidic.
Measures other nutrients and micronutrient levels – This report will detail the soil's levels of nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.
Sodium level Too much salt can cause grass plants to grow slower because it is unable to absorb nitrogen from the seawater. The usual way to lower sodium levels is with Gypsum.
The soil's fertility is determined by the level of organic matter - To add organic matter to the soil, topdressing it with compost is a great way to do this.
Water holding capacity. Clay soil drains very slowly. Sandy soil drains very quickly. This problem can be solved by adding organic matter.
