— Following is a blog by Sandra Carpenter Aiello with the NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division
A homeowner was beyond surprised and happy to see a lush, green lawn in the fall of 2024. Just months earlier, during the summer, his lawn had poor grass growth with several bare patches. With the help of Jagathi Kamalakanthan and Joshua Peavey, agronomist and chemist, respectively, at NCDA&CS Agronomic Services, the homeowner received specific recommendations to restore his lawn.
The property was somewhat sloped and experienced waterlogging issues. Waterlogging is detrimental to plants due to the lack of oxygen to roots, which leads to eventual plant death. For many years, the homeowner had spent several thousand dollars going to various lawn care companies, trying to fix the growth issues by fertilizing without soil testing, but with no lasting results. The grass growth would initially be better but slowly decline and eventually, dying.
Facing these challenges, the homeowner sought Peavey’s help as he visited our loading dock by happenstance one day. After talking with him, Peavey then consulted Kamalakanthan. The first question the agronomist asked was whether a soil test had been done, which, in this case, it had. This helped in the diagnosis.
“Having a soil test is the first step in determining the role of soil fertility in diagnosing plant growth issues,” said Kamalakanthan.
After identifying the waterlogging and nutrient issues, Kamalakanthan provided a detailed plan. The first step was correcting the drainage, followed by applying the right fertilizers. Although the process was tedious and required a financial investment, Peavey and Kamalakanthan were able to help the homeowner achieve a lush, green lawn.
The importance of submitting a soil sample and receiving expert recommendations from an agronomist is valuable for homeowners who want to better manage their lawns. “Troubleshooting underlying problems that can impact grass growth and then tackling fertility issues based on site-specific soil test recommendations usually leads to success. Sometimes lime or fertilizer is applied as a quick fix, with no basis for its application, ” said Kamalakanthan.
When faced with similar issues, homeowners can submit samples for diagnostic analysis. “NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division provides specific recommendations based upon scientifically based research to solve plant growth issues. Consulting with an agronomist by phone or email is also part of our customer service,” said Kamalakanthan.
Soil samples can be submitted to NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division year round.