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Reduce Weeds & Lawn Disease with Healthy Soil

Lawn Care Tips, Soil Tips, Weed Control

~Lawn Care Services for Fayetteville, Cave Springs, Elm Springs, Farmington, Prairie Grove & Springdale, Arkansas~

Did you know that the health and vitality of your Arkansas lawn is directly related to the health of the soil beneath it?
It’s true.
Your lawn will have less weeds and be disease-free when you maintain your soil. Plus, you save money when your soil is in good health. You won’t need to spend as much money on fertilizer or pesticides to get your lawn to the level you want. You’ll witness your turf’s vitality to its ability to crowd out weeds and to grow thick with less applications throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
Fortunately for Cave Springs, Elm Springs, Farmington, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove, and Springdale, AR, it’s within your grasp to have a healthy lawn due to sustainable soil life.

There are five different types of soil:
1. Silt – Your soil is powdery. The soil particle is bigger than a sand particle but smaller than a clay particle meaning that water percolates faster than desired. Your lawn’s turf won’t thrive in this type of soil.
2. Sand – The particle in sand is the smallest out of all soil types. Water percolates right through it requiring you to irrigate your lawn a lot. It’s difficult for your turf to grow deep root systems and to keep nutrients in sandy soil.
3. Clay – This type of soil has large particles and will absorb water for a longer period of time. Yet, this soil type leads to compaction and hard to drain soils. It oftentimes needs to be core aerated to allow water, oxygen and light to penetrate into the soil, as well as allowing carbon dioxide to be released from it.
4. Soil layering – This type of soil is the result of development. When builders clear land for building a new home with a new lawn, they take a lot of top soil with them. Thus, the soil is weak and not prepared to handle grass seed. Because of soil layering, turf roots are unable to develop strong roots as well as keep in nutrients and water.
5. Loam – This is the ideal type of soil you want. It holds in water and nutrients as well as allows air to penetrate through its layers. Loamy soil produces robust lawns.

How do I find out what type of soil I have?
A soil test is the only way to determine your property’s soil type, its pH, and what it’s lacking in nutrients.
We can take soil samples from your property to be tested for type, pH and what nutrients need to be replenished to rebuild your soil. After we receive your results from the lab, we’ll be able to design a lawn care plan that will rehabilitate your soil closer to loam.

Other helpful tips
Maintaining your soil is only one part of the equation for a thick, green lawn. You also need to add the following to keep your Benton or Washington County, AR yard looking beautiful:
1. Add top dressing – Top dressing is a compost mix that naturally adds nutrients to your soil.
2. Consider greencycling – You can add your own fertilizer by allowing your grass clippings to stay on your yard after each mow. They’ll quickly absorb back into the soil.
3. Add slow release fertilizer – If your soil does need a boost of nutrition, use only slow release fertilizers that deliver nutrients slowly into the soil. Your turf will evenly receive nutrients too.
4. Plant the right grass at the right spot – Make sure you use the right type of grass for the shady and sunny areas of your Arkansas lawn.
5. Mow your yard at the right height – You should only take a third of the grass blade off with each mow. By allowing your grass to be a little bit longer, you help it resist disease, maintain its thickness, and crowd out any weeds.
6. Irrigate your lawn responsibly – Most people think they need to water their lawn with a light sprinkle every day. Yet, studies have shown that the healthiest lawns are given a deep soaking once a week in the early morning.
Does the idea of maintaining your soil and yard seem overwhelming to you? Would you rather relax on the weekends instead of spending countless hours mowing and irrigating your lawn?

Let us at A Clean Cut Lawn Care take the pain out of yard maintenance for you. If you live in Cave Springs, Elm Springs, Farmington, Fayetteville, Prairie Grove or Springdale, Arkansas, call us this spring at 479-856-9800 or fill out our request a quote to handle all of your lawn care needs from the soil up.
Sources:
Briggs & Stratton. “How to Get Healthy Soil and Grow a Beautiful Lawn.”
EPA.gov. “Greenscaping: The Easy Way to a Greener, Healthier Yard.”
Francis, Paul, B. “The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture: Soils.”

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