Soil Testing
Ideal pH by Grass Type
BERMUDA = 6.5
ZOYSIA = 6.5
ST. AUGUSTINE = 7
CENTIPEDE = 5.5
Optimize Your Lawn’s Health
A thriving lawn starts from the ground up—literally. Healthy soil provides the foundation for strong, green grass, and the best way to ensure optimal soil conditions is through precise soil testing. That’s why, at Natural State Lawn Program, we’ve partnered with Auburn University and the University of Florida to provide lab-quality soil analysis for every client. This scientific approach allows us to monitor progress and make custom, data-driven recommendations tailored to your lawn’s needs.
The Importance of Soil Testing
Soil health determines how well your lawn can absorb essential nutrients. Without the right balance of pH, organic matter, and nutrients, your grass may struggle—leading to weak growth, discoloration, and increased susceptibility to weeds and disease.
Some of the key reasons soil testing is crucial include:
✅ pH Balance: Soil that is too acidic or alkaline can prevent absorption of nutrients, even if they are present in the soil.
✅ Nutrient Optimization: Identifies deficiencies in key macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) and micronutrients (Iron, Zinc, Manganese, etc.).
✅ Efficient Fertilization: Avoids over-application of nutrients, ensuring your lawn gets exactly what it needs without waste or runoff.
✅ Long-Term Lawn Health: Helps prevent soil degradation and ensures your lawn remains lush, green, and resilient year after year.
By testing the soil at the end of each season, we track its progress over time and fine-tune our approach to maximize your lawn's health.
Lab Testing Is Better
While hand-held probes and meters may seem convenient, they lack the accuracy and depth of analysis required for precise lawn care. Many of these devices can have errors as large as 2.0 pH units—a massive difference in a system where small variations significantly impact nutrient availability.
Lab testing, on the other hand, provides comprehensive insights beyond just pH, allowing us to measure:
✔ Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) – The soil’s ability to hold and exchange nutrients.
✔ Organic Matter (OM) – Critical for soil structure, moisture retention, and nutrient supply.
✔ Estimated Nitrogen Release (ENR) – Helps determine how much nitrogen your soil will naturally provide over time.
This level of precision ensures that our custom lawn treatments are based on science—not guesswork.
Understanding Soil Nutrients
Plants rely on a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to grow properly. If even one is deficient, your lawn’s health can decline.
Macronutrients (Needed in Large Quantities)
🔹 Primary Nutrients: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) – These are the most essential and are often the first to be depleted in the soil. Fertilization is required to replenish them.
🔹 Secondary Nutrients: Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) – Required in smaller amounts but still vital for overall lawn health.
Micronutrients (Needed in Small Quantities, But Still Essential)
These include Boron (B), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn). Even though they’re needed in trace amounts, they play a crucial role in plant growth and development.
pH Modifiers: Adjusting for Optimal Growth
If your soil is too acidic or alkaline, we apply pH modifiers to bring it into the optimal range for nutrient absorption. Without proper pH balance, even well-fertilized lawns can struggle to grow.
How We Address Soil Deficiencies
At Natural State Horticare, we partnered with Auburn University and the University of Florida in 2025, investing over $32,000 to gather lab-verified data. We sampled and tested every client’s lawn and utilized those results to enhance our already premium fertility program. We can confidently say we offer the most science-backed, comprehensive fertility and soil amendment program in Arkansas. Here’s how we do it:
Complimentary Soil Testing - We provide a complimentary soil test to every new client at the end of their first season.
We recommend re-testing every 2 years and offer these additional tests for just $35. However, your clients are welcome to test as often as they like for FREE by utilizing the University of Arkansas Extension Service.
pH Balancing – According to the lab results, 95% of lawns in Central Arkansas are acidic. YIKES!! In light of such compelling data, we concluded that excluding lime from our base program would be inconsistent with our commitment to provide the best service possible.
Built-in Lime Treatments: Natural State Horticare is transitioning from a base 9-treatment program to a base 10-treatment program that includes lime as a standard service for every client.
3X the Amount of Potassium – The test results also indicated a near-universal Potassium deficiency.
To further demonstrate our commitment to providing the best science-backed program possible, we've made improvements to our existing program, increasing Potassium inputs by 3X in 2026 at NO ADDITIONAL cost.
The Natural State Lawn Advantage
With our scientific approach to soil management, we take the guesswork out of lawn care. Instead of applying generic treatments, we fine-tune our programs based on actual soil conditions, helping your lawn reach its full potential while minimizing unnecessary chemical use.
A healthy lawn starts with healthy soil. If you’re ready to see the difference precision soil testing can make, trust Natural State Lawn Program to provide expert solutions tailored specifically for your lawn.
📞 Contact us today to learn more about our lab-based soil analysis and custom lawn care programs!