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Lawn Soil Testing Service vs Soil Test Kit: Why You Should Hire a Pro

Did you know that the secret to a healthy lawn lies in the soil it’s growing in? Without healthy soil, your lawn might be struggling to perform its best. Sometimes when a lawn is experiencing yellowing or even an abundance of weeds, it is an issue with the soil.

Whether it’s a matter of soil structure or nutrient composition, you might need to correct your soil to grow a healthier lawn.

In order to do that, you’ll need a lawn soil testing service to diagnose what’s actually going on. You may have seen that soil tests are also sold in stores and are wondering if those actually work.

In this article, we’ll compare whether you need a professional lawn soil testing service or a soil test kit from the store. There’s definitely a difference.

How to Test Lawn Soil?

A lawn soil test involves using a tool to pull samples from the lawn and have the soil pH and nutrient makeup tested. Both of these factors are critical to the health of your lawn. For instance, if your lawn isn’t as green as you think it should be, it could be due to a nutrient imbalance.

lawn care technician inspects grass

If your soil health is not properly balanced, your lawn is never going to look its best. That’s why it’s so important to perform soil testing and to actually use those results to make educated decisions for your lawn.

Do I Need a Lawn Soil Testing Service or a Soil Test Kit?

We know that a lot of home & garden stores or hardware stores sell soil testing kits. But can you trust the results of a cheap kit that you bought in the store? There are a lot of blogs and articles out there from homeowners and even gardeners who have tried this and they say no.

The biggest problem with using a store-bought lawn soil test kit is that it’s not likely to be as accurate as a professional lawn soil testing service. When a professional tests your soil, they’ll likely be pulling multiple samples from different areas of the lawn and then sending those off to a professional laboratory for expert results.

lawn care technician and customer shake hands

But when you’re just sticking some soil in a home test kit and reading it yourself, you’re not likely to get as accurate results. After all, a laboratory is going to be prepared with all of the right equipment for this type of testing. 

It’s much more robust than a home test kit.

That being said, it’s also a matter of what to do with the results once you get them which makes a professional so valuable. While you can try testing your soil on your own, what’s most important is that you take action and follow through on correcting problems. Most likely, homeowners aren’t going to know what to do with the data that they receive from a home testing kit.

This is a key reason why it’s a service best left to the pros. Not only can they help ensure highly accurate data, but they will also know exactly what to do with that information.

Professional Lawn Soil Testing Service with Seacoast Turf Care

At Seacoast Turf Care, serving Southern New Hampshire, Southern Maine, and Northeastern Massachusetts, we perform soil testing for every new customer and then again every three years (because lawns change). This is because we know that science-based lawn care is the surest path to great results.

When we perform a professional lawn soil test, we examine those results closely and make educated decisions about what to do next. 

This is how we take a customized approach to lawn care. We’re not just guessing about what’s best. People are often surprised to learn that their soil makeup might be entirely different from that of their neighbor’s. That’s why soil testing is so important. 

Unfortunately, not all lawn care companies offer a lawn soil testing service. They’re just making lawn care decisions based on what they surmise is best for the majority. But since every lawn is different (and can be dealing with different issues), this is going to fall short for many lawns. 

If your goal is to have the best-looking lawn possible, then you can’t skip over a lawn soil testing service. It’s important to work with a company that offers this service and helps set you up for success. 

Want to learn more about what makes us a great choice for your lawn care needs? At Seacoast Turf Care, we service NH towns near Stratham, North Hampton, Exeter and many more. Get lawn care pricing for your Southern NH, Southern Maine, or Northeastern Massachusetts property. 

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