If you had problems with your lawn last summer, you may be thinking of replanting your grass this spring. Before you spend a lot of money on equipment rental and grass seed, consider that maybe the soil needs to be amended.
If there are not enough nutrients in your soil, it won’t do any good to replant. The type of soil, too, will help you determine which type of grass seed to plant. The soil has to give the grass a healthy environment for the roots to grow.
If you have a big yard, it’s possible that you have areas with different types of soil. For instance, an area that previously was home to a garden will have soil that has been amended. Areas that once supported a building will also have soil properties that are different from other parts of the yard. Plan to collect soil samples from several areas of your yard and have them tested for pH and nutrients.
If you need help finding a place to have your soil samples tested, contact the local University Extension. If they can’t conduct the tests themselves, they can refer you to a testing facility.
Before you collect your soil samples, be sure you know if there are any special requirements for digging the samples and shipping them to be tested.
Once you know what’s required for the testing, define the different areas in your yard and collect at least 6 samples from each area. A good article with tips to collecting the soil samples can be found at www.FactGarden.com.
Make sure you use clean garden tools when you collect the soil samples to be tested.
Once you know what type of lawn soil you are dealing with, you can go ahead with planning your new lawn. It may not require the intensive redesign you were dreading. It may just need some soil amendments to make your grass green and lush.
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