Lawn and Soil Treatments

Organic Matter

• Organic matter is a versatile lawn treatment. It improves sandy soils, since it increases water retention. It also improves clay soils, because it increases the amount of space between soil particles, which improves root aeration. Examples of organic matter include peat moss, compost and manure.

Soil pH Treatments

• If a soil test reveals that your soil's pH levels are too high or low, many treatments are available that will improve these conditions. Lime is commonly used to increase soil pH in very acidic soils. Elemental sulfur and other sulfur-containing products are often used to decrease soil pH.

Fertilizers

• Fertilizers increase the level of nutrients in your lawn. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the most important soil nutrients and are found in most fertilizers. Examples of common lawn fertilizers include urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and liquid nitrate.