Soil test first step to beautiful lawn, ag agent says

A soil test is the right first step toward a more beautiful lawn, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Tommy Philips.

The extension service recommends home owners soil test to help determine the best fertilizer and the correct amount for their lawns based on individual soil tests, rather than general recommendations for geographic areas, Phillips said.

“A soil test helps prevent over fertilizing your lawn. Adding more of any nutrient than a lawn can use costs extra money, may contribute to disease problems, and the excess nutrients may contaminate groundwater source. It will also give you an accurate reading on soil pH (the amount of acidity or alkalinity in the soil) and what is needed to get that back into a more productive range,” Phillips said.  

Applying just the right amount of plant nutrients prevents excessive leaf growth at mowing time, Phillips said. “These clippings are usually bagged for trash pickup, which strains our landfill capacities,” he said.

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