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How to read your soil test

Soil Testing For Your Property

All Mainely Grass lawn care programs start with a soil test to determine the pH level in your yard so we can recommend the best program for your lawn.

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How to read your soil test

No two properties are the same, we know this. With this in mind we perform initial soil tests on every lawn we service to get a baseline understanding of your soil’s health. Based on the results, we determine soil pH and nutrient levels and deficiencies in your yard. From there, we recommend which treatments and amendments are needed—or not—to create improved soil quality and promote a lush, healthy, and green lawn. After our initial baseline test, we perform additional soil tests each year you work with us to monitor the health progression of your lawn.

While our technicians are trained to read and interpret these tests, we know they can look confusing at first glance. With this in mind, we’ve put together the following guide to help you learn more about how to read your test results for yourself. This way, you can better understand what we’re looking for in our soil test.

Hover over the orange-marker below to learn more

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Soil & Buffer pH

Soil pH is the foundation of all soil chemistry. It tells us if your soil is acidic (pH below 7) or alkaline (pH above 7). Optimal pH helps your grass more effectively mine the soil for the nutrients it needs to be healthy and hardy.

Buffer pH tells us how responsive your soil will be to potential pH amendments. This helps determine how much lime amendment needs to be added to your solid to lower the acidity of your lawn. The closer the buffer pH is to the optimal range, the less lime will be needed to correct low soil pH.

It’s important to note that pH is on a logarithmic scale. This means a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7, while a pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 7.

Learn More About Soil pH

Organic Matter & CEC

Organic matter is the part of your soil made up of beneficial, carbon-based plant and animal material. Organic matter supports proper bioactivity in your soil. Soil with 4-5%+ of organic matter is ideal, while anything below 3% is concerning and may require an amendment like compost or humate.

CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) is your soil's ability to attract and retain nutrients for easy absorption by the grass. CEC can range from 0 (pure sand) to 50 (pure clay). For soils here in New England, 7+ is a good target, while anything below 3 is critically low.

Macronutrients

These levels and ratios represent the most important macronutrients found in your soil. Our primary focus is to ensure there are no critical deficiencies, which can be visually identified in the graph below.

If recommended by the results, we address deficiencies during a Lime Amendment Program (for calcium & magnesium), at the time of seeding (for phosphorous), or with our Winterizer Service (for potassium).

Recommendations

Based on all of the results above, these are our expert recommendations for your soil to reach its fullest potential.

Lime (CaCO3)

New England lawns gradually acidify over time due to environmental factors, so most require lime to counteract this effect. This number tells us how many pounds per 1,000 square feet should be applied to reach optimal soil pH.

The letter following the number tells us the type of lime recommended.
D: Dolomitic Lime
C: Calcitic Lime

Note: If no letter is listed, we default to Dolomitic Lime to help supplement Mg levels.

Nitrogen (N):

Nitrogen is the most important and well-known macronutrient found in your lawn. Unfortunately, Nitrogen is a very active element in the soil, so measuring it accurately is impossible. This is why you don't see nitrogen listed in the Soil Analysis Report above. We ensure your lawn care program delivers the proper amount of nitrogen your lawn needs to thrive–no more, and no less.

Phosphorous ('P205' or 'P'):

Phosphorous is most important when establishing new grass seed. Most likely, your soil already contains plenty of phosphorous. If it doesn’t, we can address deficiencies in conjunction with seeding your lawn–ideally in the fall.

Potassium ('K20' or 'K'):

Potassium is a very important and underappreciated macronutrient for your lawn. Potassium supports grass cell structure and is associated with stress resistance. Proper potassium levels help your lawn tolerate drought, disease, temperature, and other environmental stressors. All our Lawn Care programs contain potassium, but a value higher than 2 may indicate a need for our Winterizer Service.

Magnesium (Mg)

Magnesium is a primary component of dolomitic lime, so any deficiencies here are addressed in conjunction with your lime (CaCO3) amendment treatments.

How soil pH affects availability of plant nutrients

Soil pH is the foundation of all soil chemistry. It tells us if your soil is acidic (pH below 7) or alkaline (pH above 7).

When soil pH is too low, as is the case in many New England lawns, the acidity inhibits your lawn’s ability to absorb essential nutrients. On the other hand, optimal pH helps your grass more effectively pull the nutrients from the soil it needs to be green and healthy. Check out the graphic below to see just how important proper pH is to nutrient availability for turfgrass.

We use lime made from ground limestone rock as a soil amendment to adjust the pH of your soil. Lime contains calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. When added to soil, these compounds work to increase the soil's pH, making the soil less acidic and more alkaline.

Remember, pH is on a logarithmic scale. This means a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7, while a pH of 5 is 100 times more acidic than a pH of 7.

Want to learn more about the pH of your lawn? We perform soil tests as part of our lawn care programs.

 

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