You want a green lawn, and that’s no crime.
But you may not have thought about the fact that you have to actually look beneath your lawn to have a great expanse of green, thick grass.
That’s right, your soil is actually the foundation for the health of your lawn.
And your poor soil might be lacking organic matter, it might be compacted, its pH might be way off. And your soil isn’t moaning and groaning about its troubles. So how do you know what’s going on down there?
You do a soil test. A soil test is actually one of the best tools you can use to get a glimpse at what’s happening beneath your lawn where its roots are.
Let’s talk about why you should get your soil tested in Maryland and what a soil test can reveal.
Soil Testing in Maryland
When you hire a lawn care professional to maintain your lawn, and they suggest doing a soil test as part of their program, you know you’ve hired a company that knows how great lawns are made.
Soil tests provide you with some amazing details about what’s happening beneath your grass. Here are some key insights you learn when you get your lawn soil tested.
Soil Test Timing
Good news: You can get your lawn soil tested at any time of year.
The only thing limiting your quest for a soil test is excess soil moisture. You really never want to take a fully saturated soil sample and have it sent in. Your soil should be dry.
It’s ideal to get a soil test before starting a lawn care treatment program so you know what nutrients your lawn soil is lacking. A reputable lawn care professional in Maryland will include a soil test as part of their services so they gain facts about your soil and don’t just make assumptions about your lawn’s needs.
You Want to Know Your Soil pH
One of the key facts soil testing in Maryland tells you is your soil pH.
Why does soil pH matter? You want your lawn soil to be in a pH range that puts it in an ideal position to take in nutrients. Maryland lawn soils thrive in a pH range between 6.5 and 6.8.
But our soils tend to be on the acidic soil, so if your soil isn’t in the optimum range, it’s usually low. And very acidic soils have a hard time growing grass.
Lime applications can help bring your soil up to the right pH. Maintenance lime applications are part of lawn care programs in Maryland, but if your pH is excessively low (like in the 4 to 4.9 range), opting for corrective lime applications can help get your soil back to the right pH levels.
Cation Exchange Capacity is an Important Soil Test Measure
Another reason why you should get your soil tested is to measure soil fertility.
The cation exchange capacity is a useful indicator of soil fertility because it reveals your soil’s ability to supply three important plant nutrients to your lawn: calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Low soil fertility means you’re lacking organic matter in your soil and it might not be able to receive nutrients or release them to the plants.
To address this, a topdressing treatment is like the probiotic for your lawn. It improves the organic matter in your soil, making your fertilizer much more effective and boosting the health of your lawn.
Learn More About Soil Testing in Maryland
To get a great-looking lawn, you need to know more than just what’s happening above ground. You need to look beneath your lawn to what lies beneath.
Get your lawn soil tested and gain insights into why your fertilization might not be working or why your lawn might not be thriving.
We hope our data about soil tests helps you better understand their importance in an overall lawn care program.
If you’re still wondering about how soil tests can make a difference in the health and aesthetics of your grass or if you have more questions, call Natural Green. We can help you better understand what your Central or Southern Maryland lawn is missing and provide suggestions on what it needs to look and perform its best.
Looking to improve the look of your lawn in Central or Southern Maryland? We’d love to help. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll prepare a customized plan so you can have the kind of lawn you love.
