crew inspecting lawn

How Kentucky’s Soil Types Affect Lawn Health (and What to Do About It)

You can’t separate having a healthy lawn from having healthy soil. It’s the soil that your grass is growing in that will affect your lawn’s overall health more than any other factor. Soil health problems can ultimately hold your lawn back from being the best it can be.

That’s why we’re talking about understanding soil in Kentucky. 

Knowing what’s going on beneath the surface can have a huge impact on your lawn’s success. While it’s easy to focus on what’s going on above ground, you simply can’t overlook the health of your soil. Issues with soil structure, pH, or nutrient balance can wreak havoc on your turf.

lawn control technician with customer doing inspection

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What is your Kentucky soil type?

There are all different types of soil and depending on what’s found in your yard, it can affect how grass grows there. 

While three main soil types include clay, sandy, and sandy loam, predominantly, we find that clay soil is the primary soil type of the Louisville region. 

Sandy soils in Kentucky are predominantly found in the Ohio River Valley. While there might be some properties with sandy or sandy loam soils here in Louisville, it’s not nearly as common as clay soil.

Clay soils are found widely throughout Kentucky, but heavily in the Louisville area. This is the result of residual clays formed by the weathering of limestone and shale that was used for building. It’s also the result of sediment accumulation over time, formed from ancient lakes, ponds, or rivers.

While clay soil can hold nutrients and water well, it also gets compacted easily and can become waterlogged as a result. We’ll talk more about how clay soil affects lawn health in the next section.

Nice Lawn Yard Home Field

How soil affects lawn health

Healthy soil is the foundation for a healthy lawn. But how exactly does soil impact grass health? We’ll explain…

  • Soil structure impacts “space” for water, nutrients, and oxygen. When soil is compacted, it physically does not have space for anything else. That’s because the particles are already so close together that there’s no room for movement or growth. This can lead to an unhealthy growing environment for grass and its roots. It’s also why compacted soil becomes waterlogged so easily. There is literally no room for water to percolate down deeper.
  • Soil pH will also impact grass health. You want your soil to be in an optimal range in order to maximize nutrient availability. Grass will absorb nutrients much more readily when pH is in range. Soil in Louisville generally falls between being neutral to slightly acidic. But when it falls out of range, it can lead to discoloration or even weed pressure.
  • Healthy soil is fertile soil. Soil health is also impacted by the availability of nutrients in the ground. Lawns are easily depleted of nutrients which is why lawn fertilization services are so important. Fertilizer provides your lawn with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, each of which plays a vital role in your lawn’s overall health.
  • Healthy soil should be full of beneficial microorganisms like fungi and bacteria. These organisms help the grass plants digest nutrients and also naturally build strength against pests, diseases, and even environmental stressors.

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Common lawn problems related to poor soil

The soil’s impact on grass cannot be ignored. Poor soil health can lead to a number of problems with your lawn. 

Here are just some potential problems caused by soil issues.

  • Compacted soil can lead to thinning and bare spots. When oxygen, water, and nutrients cannot circulate well and percolate down to the root zone, it can impact the growth of the grass. Often compacted grass will grow shallow, unhealthy roots and grass won’t thrive. It’s not uncommon for weeds to fill in these bare spots. Many weeds, like crabgrass, are also better-suited to growing in compacted soil than healthy grass is.
  • Unhealthy soil won’t drain well. Compacted soil also has the propensity to get waterlogged and fail to drain. This can lead to puddling on the lawn which is annoying. But it’s also problematic for the health of the grass. Waterlogged soil can literally end up drowning grass roots.
  • Soil pH and nutrient problems can lead to discoloration. Both soil pH problems and nutrient deficiencies can cause grass to turn yellow. Certain weeds can still perform in these conditions and therefore may outgrow grass. For instance, clover tends to perform well in lawns that have a low soil pH, showing the importance of good soil health. Clover has a shallow root system and can spread quickly in the lawn.

bare spots in lawn

Soil improvement for a better lawn

There are several ways that you can focus on improving a lawn with soil improvements. It means addressing soil health from more than one angle.

Aerate the lawn to alleviate compaction
Due to our predominantly clay soils, we definitely recommend lawn aeration to help break up compaction. Professional  lawn aeration can help your lawn breathe again. 

Lawn aeration helps to improve your lawn’s soil in two ways:

  • First, the holes are made throughout the lawn with a piece of machinery called a core aerator to help break up the soil compaction. The holes that are made throughout the lawn are helping to loosen the soil. As a result, more water, nutrients, and oxygen can freely move.
  • Second, the cores of soil that are left behind on the lawn once the holes are made are also important. Homeowners don’t always realize that leaving these pieces of soil (also called “plugs”) is part of the process. That’s because they will naturally break down and decompose, adding nutrients back into the soil. This helps to further loosen the soil and improve compaction and overall soil quality.

aeration and seeding

Fertilize to add vital nutrients back into the soil

Suburban soil becomes depleted of vital nutrients easily. You’ll want to make sure that you are investing in professional fertilization to help restore those nutrients.

Lawns can benefit from fertilization treatments throughout the active growing season. The key is that different amounts and types of fertilizer are applied at different times to meet your lawn’s needs in that season.

  • In the spring, it’s important to make sure that your lawn is getting nutrients that it needs to actively grow and thrive.
  • Summer fertilization is also important but this is a time to be careful as you could end up burning your lawn if you apply too much or a high nitrogen fertilizer. Too much fertilizer in the summer can also contribute to lawn disease.
  • Late fall fertilization treatments (sometimes called “winterizer”) are needed to set your lawn up for success as it enters the winter. Those stored up nutrients that are taken in during this treatment period will also be responsible for your lawn “greening up” as it initially comes out of dormancy next spring.

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Lawn care with biostimulants will ramp up microbiology

Another way that you can improve lawn soil health is by investing in a lawn care program that uses biostimulants which help add valuable microorganisms back into the soil. As we mentioned, microorganisms help the grass plants digest nutrients and also naturally build strength against pests, diseases, and even environmental stressors.

Choosing lawn care services in Louisville that focus on soil health 

There’s no doubt that soil health and grass health are interconnected. There’s no way around this. Without healthy soil, your grass will never perform its best. 

Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to improve your soil health and these are made much easier when you partner with a pro.

Hopefully, after reading this article you have a better understanding of soil in Kentucky and why it’s so important. 

It can all be a bit overwhelming…but it doesn’t have to be! 

That’s because a lawn care professional can help. A lawn care pro will have the best services for soil health issues including fertilization, biostimulants, and lawn aeration. They’ll also be able to make expert diagnoses about any other problems your lawn might be experiencing and help you implement the best solutions. 

The truth is, not all lawn care providers care about improving the lawn with a soil health focus. You want to make sure that you’re working with a lawn care service that understands just how imperative it is to promote healthy soil.

When you make a wise choice in lawn care providers, you’re finally able to let go of the stress and worries associated with maintaining a beautiful lawn and simply start spending more time enjoying it. That should leave you with valuable peace of mind.

 

Are you ready to have a thick and healthy lawn that’s getting everything it needs at your Louisville, KY home? Get in touch with us to get a quote for our lawn care programs, which include three lawn care pricing options.

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Chris O'Bryan

Chris O'Bryan

Chris grew up in Louisville, KY. He holds a Forestry degree from the The University of Kentucky and a Master's Degree in Economics from Clemson University. He is a Certified Arborist and 5-time Kentucky Tree Climbing Champion. When not at work, he has fun with his family, enjoys traveling, one-wheeling, and working in his yard.

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