One of the biggest differences between beautiful lush lawns and those that look like they need attention is the nutrient level of the soil. Unfortunately, this is an area that many homeowners tend to overlook. But if the nutrient level of your soil drops too low, your grass and plants will definitely suffer. That's why you need to always know what your nutrient levels are, and then correct any deficiencies as soon as they appear.

There are a lot of factors that go into the nutrient level of your soil including the type of grass that you have, the age of your lawn, and prevailing weather conditions. But regardless of where your nutrient levels are, you can usually adjust them into an acceptable range fairly quickly.

The first thing to do to get a handle on what nutrients your soil will need is to perform a simple PH test on your soil as soon as possible. There are a couple of ways to go about this. The first is to buy a soil test kit that you can use on your own at home. These are usually available at lawn and garden, and home improvement stores. However if you want to get the best and most accurate results, you can have the soil tested for you instead, either at a local lab or even at one of the local lawn and garden stores that specialize in fertilizer and soil nutrient products.

One of the big advantages of having your soil tested is to get a complete picture of exactly what nutrients you are going to need to put into your soil and in what quantities. Usually you can purchase inorganic fertilizers from a local garden store that are made up of three main nutrients which are necessary for a healthy lawn. The first is nitrogen which promotes growth and adds a deep green color to your lawn. Phosphorus is the second nutrient that encourages root growth. The third nutrient is potassium that helps your grass resist stress. In order for your grass to really thrive all three of these nutrients need to be in place in the soil, although they need to be present in different levels with nitrogen usually being the most important. Without enough nitrogen in the soil there will be little root growth and not enough storage of energy for survival through the winter months. Once again though, all three nutrients will be needed for a healthy lawn.

Usually you will find these three numbers listed on the outside of the fertilizer bag itself, and they will tell you what percentage, or mix of the three nutrients is in that particular fertilizer. They're always represented in the same order too. The first number will be the number for nitrogen, the second for phosphorus and the third for potassium. So just get the correct fertilizer mix that your soil test indicates is best for your particular soil. Usually your garden store staff can help you find exactly what you need.

Before you apply the fertilizer, be sure that you measure out your lawn area very carefully. Also do not include the entire yard in your measurements, only the lawn itself. Then follow the directions on the bag for laying down your fertilizer using the calculations that you have made. After applying fertilizer, most often you'll need to water your lawn soon, but just be sure to follow whatever directions for watering that are found on the fertilizer bag.

Once you have begun providing proper nutrients for your soil, make sure you keep it up as directed buy your garden center staff. Some soils only require fertilization once or twice a year, and others will need to receive more frequent applications, perhaps even four to six times each year. Just be sure to continue to check your soil nutrient level as you go to keep everything in balance.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find lawn mower reviews and lawn tractor reviews by visiting our Home Improvement website.