Groundskeeper

Soil Testing: Understanding Your Garden's Needs

June 21, 2025

Groundskeeper Team

5 min read

Soil Testing: Understanding Your Garden's Needs

Why are your plants struggling? Why is your lawn thin? Instead of guessing, a soil test can give you the definitive answers. A soil test is a scientific analysis of your soil's composition, providing a detailed report on its pH level and the availability of essential nutrients. It's the single most important step you can take to create a healthier, more productive garden and lawn, saving you money on unnecessary amendments and fertilizers.

🤔 Why is Soil Testing So Important?

Gardening without a soil test is like flying blind.

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Identifies Nutrient Deficiencies: It tells you exactly which nutrients (like phosphorus and potassium) are lacking, so you can add only what your soil needs.

Reveals Soil pH: This is critical. If your soil's pH is too acidic or too alkaline, plants cannot absorb the nutrients that are present in the soil.

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Saves Money and the Environment: It prevents you from over-fertilizing, which is a waste of money and can contribute to water pollution.

🧪 How to Take a Good Soil Sample

The accuracy of your test depends on the quality of your sample.

Use Clean Tools: Use a clean trowel or soil probe and a clean plastic bucket.

Take Multiple Sub-Samples: For a lawn or garden bed, take 8-10 small samples from different spots throughout the area. Dig down about 4-6 inches.

Mix Them Together: Mix all the sub-samples together in the bucket to create one composite sample. This gives you a good average for the entire area.

Send it to a Lab: The most accurate results come from a professional lab. Your local university extension office (like the UT Extension) provides inexpensive and detailed soil testing services.

📊 Understanding the Results

Your report will give you specific recommendations.

The report will tell you your soil's pH and provide precise recommendations on how much lime (to raise pH) or sulfur (to lower pH) to add. It will also recommend a specific fertilizer blend (N-P-K ratio) to correct any nutrient deficiencies.

Stop guessing and start knowing. Aircare In A Box can assist with soil sample collection and help you interpret the results to create a customized fertilization and soil amendment program for your lawn and garden. Contact our groundskeeping experts to build a healthier landscape from the ground up.