Summer Lawn Care Tips for New Jersey

Do you want to plant a lawn but worry about the extra work it may need? Or do you have an existing lawn that looks sad and unhealthy? Do you struggle with certain recurring problems or challenging locations? Any of these difficulties call for the same important but often underutilized tool: soil testing.

What is soil testing? What can it reveal about your property? How often should you test? And what should you do next? Discover some answers to your questions about soil testing. 

What Is Soil Testing?
Although it sounds fairly technical, this is a relatively simple and inexpensive process that anyone can do. Samples of soil in the yard are taken from different locations. The collector cleans up the soil to free it from debris like roots, dead leaves, or rocks. Samples receive labels according to their specific locations and even the types of plants you want to grow there.

The actual test may happen in several different ways, either in a lab or in less formal processes. The samples may receive individual tests to identify specific issues, but they are often also combined to give you an overall picture of your property’s characteristics.

What Does Soil Testing Show?
Soil testing for landscape purposes generally focuses on two key factors. The first is pH levels. Plants need the acidity of their soil to be within certain ranges in order to properly grow. If the acidity is high or too low, they cannot get access to enough minerals. In addition, species of plants and grasses tend to have a preference as to whether their soil should weigh more on the acidic or alkaline side.

The second major component of residential soil testing is the levels of various minerals. These commonly include phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, manganese, zinc, copper, and sodium. Just like your doctor tests your blood to make sure your mineral levels are healthy, a soil tester finds out specifically what may be missing from your plants’ figurative lifeblood.

What Do You Do Next?
Depending on what your tests reveal, your next steps may vary. If you test in advance of planting grass, trees, or shrubs, you can adapt your plant choices to the soil conditions. If the soil is more acidic in some (or all) locations, look for plants that thrive in a slightly acidic environment. Azaleas, for instance, like a more acidic environment while oleanders prefer alkaline. Both are beautiful yard choices. 

The other approach is to alter the soil conditions to better suit the plants. If you want a certain grass in your lawn, such as zoysia, you can help it thrive by making your soil a little more acidic. In contrast, popular St. Augustine grass likes a more alkaline environment. Beyond these preferences, you’ll need to do soil amendments if the tests reveal serious deficiencies or more extreme pH issues.

How Often Should You Test?
Because soil tests are like a snapshot of the conditions at a given moment, they bear repeating. Certainly, if you make soil alterations — by adding minerals via fertilizer or boosting the organic material in the soil, for example — follow up with more testing to see if it works. You may also need to do scheduled testing afterward in order to maintain the right levels.

Some property owners schedule regular testing throughout the year to keep their yard healthy. You may start out doing so frequently, but you may also be able to reduce testing once levels hold steady.

Where Can You Learn More?
The soil underneath your lawn and plants has some of the biggest impacts on the health of your yard. So testing it and making improvements is a great way to affect quick and long-lasting benefits. Start by learning more about soil testing and soil amendments from the team at Dirt & Turf. We’ll work with you to identify the cause of and fix all sorts of landscape challenges. Call today to make an appointment.