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Why Is Soil So Important To Lawns?
Lawns are important to the majority of landscapes around a home, at least in America. There are few landscape features that offer the range of benefits that we enjoy from a lawn.
Such popularity means that people compare one lawn to another. A healthy well-kept lawn adds value to a property and brings esteem to the owner. An unkempt lawn detracts from the overall appearance of a house, a landscape, a neighborhood.
People have a vested interest in keeping their lawn healthy and looking great. They also would like to accomplish that with a minimal expenditure of time, effort or money. Is that your goal?
The most critical element to maintaining that source of pride and satisfaction is the condition of the soil. Much of the effort that often is spent trying to improve an inferior lawn is wasted, or doomed to be repeated, because the greatest need the lawn has is for quality soil.
Why is soil so important to lawns? A grass lawn has demands placed on it like few other plants. How often do you prune the majority of your landscape, once or twice a year, or not at all? Grass gets mowed weekly in most cases. It keeps on growing.
A lawn gets abused by activity in a way that other plants do not. It keeps on growing. A lawn endures extremes of temperature, infestations, applications, strange deposits, irregular and sometimes improper care. It keeps on growing. To a point.
When a lawn starts to show signs of serious problems or deficiencies, what it probably needs more than anything is improvement of the soil. What it usually gets is fertilizer or chemical sprays.
The compaction of top soil is a common problem. This means the roots of the grass are being stressed with inadequate flow of moisture and air.
Soil that is devoid of organic matter cannot assist the roots to absorb moisture or nutrients. It cannot feed the bacteria and fungi that are critical to maintaining a plant’s growth cycle.
Soil that is over-watered or under-watered cannot properly support the colonies of microorganisms that promote fertility and health of the grass.
Soil that is of a poor texture or structure to begin with can never overcome that without drastic and continued intervention.
Why is soil so important to your lawn? It is the absolute key element for grass to thrive and resist problems like disease and weed infestations.
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