Soil Amendments for Lawn
Soil amendments play different roles than fertilizers and, by understanding what they do, you can have the spectacular lawn you have dreamed about! Jonathan Green can help.
Jonathan Green has been growing beautiful lawns for six generations (since 1881). Today, we are a major supplier of genetically superior cool season grass seed, fertilizers, soil enhancers, organics, and weed, insect, and disease control products to the professional lawn care markets. Our products will transform your lawn and help it thrive.
By following our revolutionary New American Lawn Care Plan, it will be easier than ever to care for your lawn. You will learn how to address the root of your lawn care problems like weeds and insects. Our goal is to help you feed your lawn AND your soil so that you can grow a beautiful Black Beauty® lawn.
Common Types of Soil Amendments
A soil amendment is any material that is added to soil to improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better environment for roots. Soil amendments include:
- Lime – raises soil pH, reducing acidity
- Sulfur – lowers soil pH, increasing acidity
- Gypsum – improves aeration of compacted soil, helping it drain more efficiently
- Biochar – increases the soil fertility of acidic soils and provides protection against some soil-borne diseases
- Humic acid – transports water and nutrients from the soil to the plant, preventing them from leaching away
- Fulvic acid – improves the uptake of minerals, stimulates plant growth
- Compost – decomposed organic matter that improves aeration and moisture retention and enriches the soil
- Bone meal – adds phosphorus and calcium to the soil, can be harmful to pets
- Blood meal – increases acidity and adds nitrogen back to the soil very efficiently
Try Mag-I-Cal® Plus
Use a Soil pH Test Kit for Lawns to check the pH of your soil. You can buy one at your local hardware store or garden center or at JonathanGreen.com.
The pH level of the soil is vital to growing lush, green lawns. On a scale of 1 to 14, a pH of 1 is very acidic and a pH of 14 is very alkaline (or basic), while a pH reading of 7 is neutral. Lawns grow best in soil that is slightly acidic to neutral (between 6.2 and a 7.0 on the pH scale), and a balanced pH will increase microbial activity in the soil.
Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal® Plus is a unique soil food that combines Mag-I-Cal® and Love Your Soil®. It rapidly adjusts soil pH, loosens hard soil, and activates microbes to create a biologically healthy soil.
If your soil’s pH is too low, treat it with Mag-I-Cal® Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil. Our innovative formula will quickly raise the soil pH and feed soil microbes with humates to help the lawn grow greener and healthier. It can be applied the same day as the grass seed is spread.
When soil pH is too high, Jonathan Green’s Mag-I-Cal® Plus for Lawns in Alkaline & Hard Soil which contains sulfur and calcium sulfate dihydrate will lower the pH, improve root penetration, and promote growth. It can be applied the same day as the grass seed is spread.
Mentioned Products
If you spend time caring for your lawn or garden, it’s quite likely that you have used soil amendments like compost, lime, or gypsum. Visit Jonathan Green online or your nearest independent hardware store or garden center to explore your options.