How To Test Lawn Soil? Importance Of Soil Testing In Dallas, TX

When it comes to the soil on your lawn, it’s important to know that they’re not the same. Therefore, the results you’ll get with Soil A will be completely different from that of Soil B, all things being equal. Each soil type has features that make it unique. Knowing the type of soil on your lawn will help in maintaining the lawn for longer periods. In fact, lawn owners need to be knowledgeable about the importance of soil testing in keeping lawns green and alive.

A soil test will tell you the condition of the soil – you will learn the current pH, nutrient level, texture and content level among other things. As a lawn owner, you don’t need to learn how to test your soil for grass-growing ability.

You will benefit from this knowledge in more ways than you may imagine. However, it’s still best to send your soil sample to a soil testing service.

How to Collect Your Soil Sample

Considering the size of your lawn yard and its terrain, you will need to collect samples from different parts of the lawn. You can either use a test kit to run your test or send your soil to a soil lab to assess it.

To collect a soil sample, here are the steps to take:

1. Take samples of your soil from different parts of the lawn using a clean hand-trowel.
2. The holes should be 6-8 inches deep so as to take enough soil for testing.
3. Take a good cut of soil.
4. Mix up the samples, let them dry at room temperature, package them in a small bottle and send them to the lab.

A soil test will tell you everything you need to know about your lawn soil. If your lawn looks great and your soil turns out healthy, then you might not need to do anything to it. However, if the reverse is the case, then it calls for aeration and nutrient treatment to bring it back to normal. The importance of soil testing cannot be over-emphasized.

Try a Do-It-Yourself Soil Test Kit

Typically, sending your soil samples to a soil lab for testing can quickly become expensive. Therefore, it’s important to consider an alternative way of testing your soil effectively. This is where Do-It-Yourself soil test kits come into the picture.

Most hardware or lawn care shops have soil testing kits of various capabilities. While the least one can be used for a simple pH test, the more robust kits can be used to check for essential nutrients like potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.

The price range for soil test kits ranges from $6 to $20 on average. Of course, there are even more expensive kits that can do a bit more heavy lifting but then, a soil lab test is still the most detailed way to get all you need to know about your soil.

Using a soil testing kit is fast, convenient and cheap. Follow the user manual on how to do a soil test for your lawn yard and you will be on the right path to getting accurate results about your soil.

Steps Involved in Testing Your Own Soil

When looking to test your soil, there are several steps you’ll need to take to carry out this task properly. Remember, this isn’t the time to make costly but avoidable mistakes. We have listed the steps below so let’s get started:

1. Open the test kit carefully to avoid damaging any part of it.
2. Follow the manufacturer’s directions when adding the proper solution from the kit to a specified amount of your soil sample to test your soil. Following the manual is critical in getting a correct test result.
3. Let the particles settle after thoroughly shaking the mixture. It’s more effective when the solution has been thoroughly mixed together.
4. To determine pH or nutrient levels, compare the color of the final solution to the color chart included with the kit. According to this chart, a pH of a little bit higher than 5 denotes acidic soil and the requirement for a lime application.
5. It’s important to have a professional lawn specialist review your test findings if possible. By doing this, you will be working with correct readings and know exactly what needs your attention.

As soon as your lawn soil is confirmed to be okay or treated, as the case may be, reseeding and mowing will commence in a few short weeks. It’s critical to hire a highly-recommended lawn mowing service in Dallas for this role.

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