Soil is the foundation of your lawn, and keeping it healthy is crucial. To do this, you'll want to determine what it's craving by scheduling a soil test. This test will provide a detailed analysis of everything your soil in Iowa lacks or has in abundance, such as nutrient levels, pH, and overall quality. From this, you can figure out the treatments it may need, whether lime or fertilizers rich in a specific nutrient. On the other hand, if your soil needs a total restoration, pros can create a plan tailored to what will get it back to its best health, which may include services like core aeration, overseeding, and topdressing.

Schedule a Soil Test to Determine What Your Soil Craves

To determine what your soil craves so that you can give it what it needs to get on track to optimal health, you should schedule a soil test. When you do, professionals will take soil samples and perform various tests to provide a detailed analysis of what it lacks and has in abundance. For example, it'll reveal its nutrient levels, pH, and overall quality and structure. Knowing these details about your soil is the first step to improving its health and yielding healthier grass.

What are some treatments your soil may need?

From the soil test, pros can identify what your soil may need to balance its levels and improve its overall quality so your lawn is at its healthiest. One issue it could reveal is that its pH is too acidic, which inhibits your turf from absorbing vital nutrients. So, it would need a lime treatment to balance those levels so it's conducive to proper nutrient uptake and healthy growth.

Another treatment your soil may need is fertilizers rich in the nutrients it's lacking. The soil test can determine the level of everything your lawn needs to maintain its health, including macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and micronutrients like iron, calcium, and magnesium. That way, the fertilizer applications can be tailored to your turf's specific nutrient deficiencies, supplying it with what it needs to thrive.

If Your Soil Needs a Total Restoration, Pros Can Come Up With a Plan to Get It Back to Its Best Health

Sometimes, the soil test may reveal that your soil needs more than just lime or fertilizer treatments to get back to its best health. If that's the case, and your lawn needs a total restoration, pros can come up with a plan tailored to what will return it to its former glory. A soil restoration plan may include the following services:

  • Core Aeration: This process involves pulling up plugs of soil to loosen compaction and create passageways for sunlight, water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass more easily.
  • Overseeding: Pros will spread seeds across your lawn to fill bare and patchy areas with new grass growth, increasing your turf's overall density.
  • Topdressing: This service involves applying an organic, nutrient-rich layer of compost to bolster your soil's health and overall quality.

Many cities in the Des Moines, IA, area offer soil restoration funding, meaning they may cover anywhere from 50% to 75% of the project's cost.

Call us today to sign up for our soil testing service!

At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we offer a soil testing service to commercial and residential properties, along with HOAs, in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, IA, and nearby areas. Our team will perform a comprehensive soil test to determine your soil's current nutrient levels, pH, and overall quality and structure. That way, we know just what it needs to help it reach its full potential and yield healthy, beautiful grass! Call us today at (515) 289-2020 to sign up for this service!