Beautiful lawns and gardens help us connect to nature. They are the stage for summer bar-b-ques, bocce ball matches and playtime with pets. They help us slow down our fast paced lives and enjoy the moment. However, growing and maintaining a lawn isn’t always easy. Lots of people decide to visit www.thecompositedecking.co.uk/ to get decking instead, whilst some choose a patio as both are so much easier to maintain. Well with the following information, you should find looking after your lawn a lot easier, meaning you could have your lovely decking or patio AND a beautiful lawn.
The question is: how to get that perfect lawn?
Amazingly, 50% of soil is actually air or water. The other 50% is a combination of minerals, bacteria and organic material. The right mixture of these materials is what plants need to grow healthy.
This month’s newsletter asks River Citizens to test their soil before fertilizing, to make sure the right nutrients are added in the right amounts. Wondering how difficult this was to do, I decided to test the soil in my own backyard.
I ordered a soil testing kit online, making sure it included the tests for nitrogen and phosphorus, the two nutrients that are so detrimental to local waterways and collectively create a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
The test itself is pretty easy.
Let’s walk through the
three phases together.
1. Get your dirt!
The directions state to dig a hole and collect your sample from about 3 inches deep when testing lawns. Mix your sample with water (my ratio was 1 cup of dirt to 5 cups of water).
2. Wait. I didn’t see this step coming so look out!
The mixture needs to settle from 30 minutes to 24 hours depending on soil type. I decided to let it sit over night and the next morning I could see the mixture had settled some because the plastic bowl I used let sunlight in showing me a layer of clearer lighter mixture on top.
3. The super science fair fun part of the experiment!
Using the dropper provided, I took water from the top of my mixture and deposited it into their testing container. The water was nearly clear, so much cleaner than I had thought. You fill both compartments with water and add the powder from a color-coded capsule. Then shake it up! Then wait one more time. This was the hardest part for me; I wanted results right away!
After 10 minutes
it was time to find out the results.
Judging the test water against the color comparison bars provided, I found my soil was indeed nitrogen depleted. The test also showed my soil has sufficient phosphorus. Now, when I look to fertilize my lawn this fall, I know I need to use material that is phosphorus-free. I also will pay careful attention to the recommended amount of fertilizer to use and best practices for its application.
Armed with more information I can make better choices and apply River Citizen principals to my own backyard. Hope this makes testing less daunting and more of a fun science experiment!
To share your soil testing experience, leave a note on the Testimonials page.
And remember science is fun!
Test on,
Annette