How To Assess Your Soil

In assessing your soil, it is important to understand the two different compositions of soil that should be beneath your lawn. These two types of soil are topsoil and subsoil.

Topsoil is the top layer of soil that the grass takes its nutrients from and is rich in organic matter. It is much darker in colour than subsoil and this is because of the organic matter it contains. Topsoil supports the insect life within the soil because of its smaller, softer particles and its direct proximity to the atmosphere. It is important for the soil directly below the lawnturf to support insect life as these insects break up the soil and allow for better drainage and aeration alongside providing a continuous replacement of the organic matter within the soil

The subsoil is the layer of soil beneath the topsoil. It is lighter in colour due to the lack of organic matter in the soil. The subsoil is important because it holds the iron and aluminum contents of the soil that are important to maintaining healthy topsoil above. Subsoil is more compact and doesn’t allow for aeration which makes it unsuitable for supporting insect life.

The problem that may exist within your topsoil could be due to a couple of different aspects of the soil.

• If in periods of rain the ground ponds or becomes waterlogged. Then this would indicate that the soil may not contain enough sand or be too compacted. The solution would be to add sand and rotovate the soil. This should then be followed by a light rolling to aerate it. You are aiming for firm soil but not compact.
• If neither plants nor even weeds grew in the existing ground then this indicates that the soil is low in nutrients. The solution to this is to add fertilizer and/or add new nutrient-rich soil.

If you have any queries about how to assess your soil, we would be happy to address them, please do not hesitate to give us a call.