Spring is approaching fast and I can’t wait to get started working on my lawn. This weather really has me motivated. I’m loving it! I want a healthy lawn and beautiful plants, but I also don’t want to harm water quality with polluted runoff from my property.
We recently built a house and are working on establishing our lawn. This year I will be redoing my back yard; it’s about a half an acre and needs some love. Before I get started I need to know what type of grass will best suit my needs and how much fertilizer I will need, or whether I will need it at all. My first step is to take a soil test and send it off to have it tested. I will be sending my sample to A&L Eastern Laboratories in Richmond, Va. They have everything you need to know about how to take a soil sample and how to interpret your results right on their website. Plus, they are known for their environmentally conscious yet successful soil amendment recommendations. That will save me money and give me the results I am looking for, and perhaps most importantly, also keep my runoff from being too harmful to our waterways.
If you’re planning on establishing or even just thinking you need to feed your already established lawn, first have your soil tested. You may find out you don’t even need fertilizer, but if you do need it, then you will know how much and at what rate, saving you money and reducing your impact on our waterways.
For more information on lawn care and fertilizing visit Your Yard.
Written by Erin Rountree, Environmental Specialist, Public Works Engineering, City of Suffolk