Why should I test my soil with a soil test kit?

In general, the purpose of fertilizing is to give your grass what it cannot get naturally from the soil in your yard.  

In most cases, soils in residential neighborhoods are lacking in a lot of nutrients. Sometimes this is because the soil itself is just poorly composed, to begin with, and other times, it may be because the lawn has been in place for decades and consumed everything that was there anyway, especially if you bag up your clippings and take them away each week.

This is where the idea of a soil test comes in - to show you what is in your soil and what it is lacking.

This is not to say that if you don't take a soil test and just use a general purpose fertilizer, such as 24-0-6 Flagship, or follow a generic lawn program, that your aren't helping your lawn. You for sure are!

Think of a general lawn plan like the food pyramid. If you stick to the right amount of carbs, protein, dairy, and fruits and vegetables you’ll have a healthy diet.

Now think of a soil test like blood and allergen tests. You get your results and you are low in iron. The doctor is going to recommend you eat more red meat than what the food pyramid suggests. Or perhaps you’re allergic to gluten so your carb intake is going to be altered. This is the information the soil test is providing. It is giving you the knowledge and power to adjust the generic lawn plan to better fit your lawn’s specific needs. 

You can pick up your own soil test right here.

The double kits are great because you can test your lawn at the beginning of the season, throw'er down and then retest at the end of the season to see how your lawn has progressed over the past few months!

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