Asked June 26, 2023, 8:52 PM EDT
I recently had a soil analysis performed on sections of my front and back lawn through the U of M Horticulture department.
Three years ago I used a small lawn service to aerate and seed the front and areas in the back. Since then, either from grubs or
the poor condition of the dirt they brought in, basically destroyed all the grass in my front lawn. It's 98% dirt. In the 42 years
I've lived in my house, nothing like this has ever happened, which is why I suspect the inferior dirt.
The results of the analysis indicate a very high level of Phosphorus, with a score of 27. The Potassium levels, with a a score of 108 was in the Medium range, and the Ph level was 7.0. There was no noticeable Soluble Salts in the Coarse soil.
The U of M’s recommendation to bring the soil levels back to normal, was to treat the lawn with 2.5 lbs./1,000 sq. ft., Nitrogen, 0 phosphate, and 2 lbs./1,000 sq.ft. Potash, dividing the amounts by adding 1/3 of the amount late spring, 1/3 late summer, and 1/3 late fall.
Can you tell me how long it would take to bring the dirt levels back? Also, if I could cover the yard with grass seed, would new grass grow once the soil is neutralized? Should I wait until summer is over and do this in the fall when it's cooler?
Or would it be advisable to bring in new dirt with sod and just start over?
Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
Hennepin County Minnesota
