In order to have a beautiful green lawn, you must feed it what it needs. How do you know what it needs? Soil testing! It is not difficult to test your property’s soil, and the results will ensure that you add the proper nutrients to your lawn and garden to make them grow.
In Fulton County, there is a lot of red clay (Ultisol) soil, and if your yard is primarily composed of clay soil, it will have a low pH and may be missing proper nutrients for a lush turf. Clay does have a tendency to hold on to nutrients, so it is easy to overdo the fertilizer. Fulton County soil is variable, and it’s not all clay, but most of it has a low pH. Testing will allow you to predict how your lawn will respond to certain soil amendments.
The first thing you must do when soil testing is divide your yard into sections. These sections should signify changes in the condition of the yard, such as forested areas, low areas, or areas where the drainage may be different. The pH and nutrients will change based on plant life and drainage, so each area needs to be tested separately.
Every section of the yard should have around 10 soil samples.
In order to get a good sample, the underlying debris (mulch or thatch), must be removed from the area. Clean tools should be used when cutting the sample in order to avoid contamination. Trowels, shovels, spades, and other sharp digging or cutting tools will ensure a good sample with a depth of 4 inches or more.
Once a sample is cut from each sample site, it needs to be transported in a plastic bucket. Metal can contaminate it. The sample should be dried overnight on a clean surface lined with white paper. It can be placed in a UGA soil sample bag once dried and sent to the University of Georgia Extension Office.
It takes a little over a week to get results.
Soil tests can be done in any season, but it is typically done in the fall. Lime amendments take a few months to react, so soil tests should be done well before spring green-up.
If you are interesting in soil testing and soil amendments get get your yard looking fabulous, contact Greenfeet Lawncare to talk with a lawn care specialist.
770.619.2929
Greenfeet Lawncare Provides Service to the Following Areas
North Fulton, East Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth Counties - including Alpharetta, Canton, Cobb, Cumming, Dunwoody, Gwinnett, Johns Creek, Marietta, Milton, Roswell, Sandy Springs
Topics: soil testing
