Feeding the Lawn

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Soil and Soil Samples

Life needs nutrients to grow and thrive. Babies drink their mother's milk, healthy adults eat a balanced diet, and lions consume the meat of spry gazelles. Your lawn's no different – grass is a form of life that needs the same nutrients as anything else.

Okay, maybe not the exact same nutrients – you won't see turfgrass rearing up to eat small savannah animals anytime soon. Lawns draw their sustenance from the soil they're planted in, in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a host of other nutrients.

Over time, however, hungry lawns and plants suck the available nutrients out of the ground, leaving behind empty soil. Lawns rooted in empty soil become malnourished and grow limp and brown.

Homeowners can breath new life into their lawn by introducing fresh nutrients to the ground via fertilizers and soil amendments. The problem lies in the sheer number of options available – over a dozen different primary nutrients, secondary nutrients, micronutrients and other considerations combine to create healthy soil. How do you know what nutrients and fertilizers are lacking in the soil?

A simple soil test, that's how. Most university cooperative extensions offer the service at low or no cost to local residents.

Early spring's one of the best times to conduct a soil test, just after the ground starts to thaw. Doing it early enough lets you add amendments to the soil before your grass grows out and gears up for the hot summer. Early fall's another good time for performing a soil test if you want to add your amendments before shutting the lawn down for the winter.

The exact method for taking and preparing a soil sample varies depending on the procedure required by your cooperative extension's lab, but most follow the same basic procedure.

Clear the thatch and grass over a spot in your lawn that's representative of the overall condition of the area – you don't want to sample the odd spots in your yard, like the soil right next to a road, sewage pipe or compost pile. Dig an angled hole in the soil three inches deep, then slice off a one inch thick slice of soil from the edge of the hole. Dump the slice of ground into a clean plastic bucket.

Take 10 or more soil samples from throughout your lawn, strenuously avoiding those odd areas the entire time. Dump all the samples into the same bucket, then mix the soil in the bucket together to create a composite sample. Pluck out any rocks or roots you find while you're mixing the soil.

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Next, you'll want to check your cooperative extension's website to see how much soil and exactly what paperwork is needed to have the sample tested. Seal the appropriate amount of soil into a plastic bag and complete the required paperwork, then either mail the sample to the testing lab or bring it directly to a cooperative extension office. You may need to include a check covering the cost of the service.

Testing can take a couple of days, a couple of weeks or a couple of months, depending on the lab and its workload. The results of the test will show you what nutrients your lawn lacks, and some even suggest particular amendments and application rates. If you need to lime or add compost to your lawn, the results will let you know. If the ground's lacking phosphorus, the results will let you know. If your soil's pH is out of whack, the results will let you know!

With the soil test results in hand, you can feel confident knowing you're supplying your lawn the nutrients it needs. Fertilize and amend the ground as recommended to feed your hungry lawn and keep it growing strong!