A little lawn sense
How do I test the soil under my lawn?
A soil test tells you whether pH and nutrients need correcting. It can save you from buying lime your lawn never asked for.
Use a lab with lawn recommendations
Your county Extension office can direct you to a laboratory and its sampling instructions. Tell the lab your grass type and whether the lawn is established or being planted.
Take a representative sample
Follow the lab’s depth and collection directions. Combine small samples from several ordinary parts of the lawn, keeping unusual problem areas separate. Avoid fertilizer spills and compost piles.
Use the recommendation
Apply lime, phosphorus or potassium only as recommended and allowed locally. A soil test does not diagnose every disease or give a permanent answer; keep the report and retest at the lab’s suggested interval.
Questions from the yard
Can I tell soil pH from weeds?
Weeds do not replace a laboratory pH test.
Should I put lime down every year?
Only if a soil test recommends it.
Sources & further reading
Reviewed October 2026. General US home-lawn guidance; local recommendations may differ.