Today we are going to talk about something often overlooked in lawn care, soil health and amendments. A basic lawn care plan is 2 soil amendments and a granular fertiliser. At Lawn Addicts we know and believe that good soil health is imperative for good grass health. Today we will look at the most common amendments and why they are important.

The importance of making the soil healthy cannot be understated as this is where the foundation for grass is, the root system. A healthier soil means healthier roots. Healthier roots mean a stronger and healthier turf. The soil is also where the majority of nutrients are held so we need to make them as easily accessible as possible for the plant to take up, this will help minimise leeching and nutrient loss.  We can provide some of the best fertilisers available, but in a poor soil environment they are wasted.

As you may know at Lawn Addicts, we believe that the soil is the backbone of everything we do, from our in-store written plans, to our free lawn plans (link below) with monthly Kelpro and Hydrolink applications, to our full customised superintendent program (link also below) where we focus in on specific needs, it all starts with soil amendments.

Here are some of the common common/ essential you will find.

 

Wetting agents (Hydrolink range)
Improve water distribution in the soil. Can prevent hydrophobic soils. Makes the water more effective, allows for less runoff making the water get to where you want it. A properly balanced moisture content can also make other applications more effective. See Edition 1 for more information.

Kelpro (Seaweed Extract Concentrate)
Kelp increases the turfs resilience to stress, extreme temps etc., it improves the soil structure and promotes microbial activity in the soil, contains growth stimulating hormones that help promote root and shoot development.

Growth stimulants (Fertech bio, Auxinone, UMX) 
Stimulates root development making the grass stronger and more robust. 
Speeds up the process for seed germination and aids in recovery from renovation or disease and insect damage. It assists some nutrients to be more available in the soil by binding them and making them easier for the plant to uptake. 

Organic matter

All lawns need a level of organic matter. This is to help provide nutrients and other compounds into the soil that help with nutrient retention and soil structure.

 

Humic and fulvic acid
Often used in conjunction with each other. Both play similar roles but differ ever so slightly in their growth stimulation. They are used to enhance soil structure to allow better nutrient transport, improve stress tolerance and enhance root development.

Humic Acid is a larger molecule that is better suited to soil applications, it is a slow working stimulant whereas the Fulvic Acid is a smaller lighter molecule, is a faster acting growth stimulant and even available when UMX is applied alone as a foliar first and watered in later.

 

Carbon 
Carbon found in UMX is used to help the structure of the plant and soil. Aids photosynthesis, increases organic matter and nutrient uptake. Carbon supports the microbiology of the soil with assisting colonisation of beneficial bacteria and fungi, moisture and air retention then this flows onto even more nutrient chelation and availability.

 

This great cycle of excellent soil health has a snowball effect, ultimately resulting in the healthiest of turf surfaces possible that is very resistant to stresses like the heat, the cold and disease.

For the Addicts keeping up with our Warm Season free lawn plans, we’re up to the big one! The basis of all our plans. Granular, Hydrolink, Kelpro, and for those who use them, UMX, Fertech Bio and Auxinone.

 

For the Addicts keeping up with our Cool Season free lawn plans we’re at that time again where we are doing our monthly soil amendments. So, the Hydrolink, Kelpro, and for those who use them, UMX, Fertech Bio and Auxinone. 

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If you are wanting to take your lawn to the next level, here is the link to our fully personalised superintendent program.

The next edition will be our FAQ/ Q&A edition 

Email us your questions