If you don’t lose sleep at night worrying about your lawn’s soil, nobody blames you.
Hidden beneath your lawn, quietly doing its thing, soil isn’t exactly demanding attention. But when it comes to your lawn’s health, it all starts with your soil.
Jump to Section
- First, What Exactly is Soil pH?
- What’s the Best Soil Types for Idaho Lawns?
- Is Idaho Soil Acidic or Alkaline?
- How Ancient Volcanoes Affect Idaho Soil Composition
- How Can I Find Out the Soil Type in My Area?
- How Can I Repair the Soil in My Lawn?
- Work With a Lawn Care Professional for Soil Testing
What kind of soil does Idaho have? Why does it matter?
Most soil in this part of Idaho has a high pH level; we will explain more later. This means your lawn soil may require additional sulfur. It's important for your soil to maintain a balanced pH level so it can effectively absorb and utilize the fertilizer you provide to help it thrive.
Keep reading to learn more about the best soil type for Idaho lawns.
First, What Exactly is Soil pH?
Soil pH measures soil acidity or alkalinity. It's measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral.
Extreme acidity is at the low end of the scale; extreme alkalinity is at the top end.
Soil at the midpoint, number 7, is neutral soil — neither acidic nor alkaline.
What’s the Best Soil Type for Idaho Lawns?
Most lawns thrive at a soil pH between 6 and 7. Your goal is perfectly balanced soil.
Why should you care?
A balanced lawn soil pH is key to a healthy, impressive lawn. You can use all the fertilizer you want, but if your lawn’s pH level is off, it won’t do any good. Your lawn won’t be able to absorb all those great nutrients it needs.
How to get that perfectly balanced soil? It depends on the current pH level of your Idaho soil.
If your lawn soil pH is too low, adding lime can help. Lime is a soil amendment made from ground limestone rock containing calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.
But if your soil pH is high, adding sulfur helps to balance the lawn's pH. Otherwise, the higher pH will lock up micronutrients like iron, making them less readily available to your lawn.
Both lime and sulfur balance your lawn's pH level, a sort of soil pH correction. Once your lawn has the right pH, your soil can use the nutrients in your fertilizer and flourish.
Is Idaho Soil Acidic or Alkaline?
Soil pH levels in Idaho can vary widely, but here in Boise and Idaho Falls most soils have a high pH level, normally running in the range of 8-12, according to the University of Idaho, which offers a robust teaching, research and Extension program related to soil science.
The university reports that this means the soil is alkaline and contains little organic matter. To balance the pH, this soil needs a sulfur mineral amendment.
However, Northern Idaho soil can have a relatively low pH, which means it’s acidic and contains plenty of organic matter.
The University reports that soils in either location can vary in texture from sand to clay. Both types can benefit from adding organic matter. (More on this in a bit.)
How Ancient Volcanoes Affect Idaho Soil Composition
Both Boise and Idaho Falls are located in the Snake River Plain, a wide valley formed by faulting and volcanic activity.
According to the Digital Atlas of Idaho, a collaboration between Idaho State University, Boise State University, and the Idaho Museum of Natural History, much of this area is covered with a naturally dry, lime-rich soil in a layer less than six inches thick, made up of a mixture of wind-blown soil and volcanic ash.
Idaho soil is great for farmers. Over millions of years, volcanic ash has mixed with the soil to produce a soil well-suited for the growth of crops such as potatoes, wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets and alfalfa.
How Can I Find Out the Soil Type in My Area?
You can test your soil to determine its exact pH level so you know what to add to achieve that perfect balance.
Across Idaho, University of Idaho Extension educators and specialists work with residents to test, analyze and improve soil quality.
The soil test results will tell you if your lawn needs lime or sulfur to balance its pH.
How Can I Repair the Soil in My Lawn?
The turf at many Idaho homes is growing on a thin layer of poor soil that could use a boost.
How to improve your Idaho soil? You’re in luck — there are a few good methods:
Add Organic Matter to Your Idaho Soil
This sounds fancier than it is. We’re talking pretty basic stuff — shredded leaves, plant debris, animal manure, grass clippings.
These organic materials add important nutrition to your depleted soil and attract helpful microbes and earthworms that break down the organic matter. The worms tunnel and create pockets that lighten the soil and allow air and water to reach the roots. (It turns out worms do much more than hang out in puddles and look slimy.)
And when those earthworms poop, it adds another boost to your soil. (We told you this was basic stuff.)
Repair Your Lawn Soil with Soil Conditioner
Healthy soil means a healthy lawn and plants, says Dillon Beardall, manager of fertilizer operations at Lawn Buddies. Beyond the organic nutrition nature provides to feed your soil, he suggests soil conditioner for lawn care in Boise and Idaho Falls that Lawn Buddies technicians can add to boost your Idaho soil.
The conditioner contains humic acid and sea kelp to nourish soil.
Humic acid is a naturally occurring organic compound formed from decomposed plant matter. It plays an important role in soil health by improving water retention, nutrient availability, and overall plant growth.
Kelp, a type of nutrient-rich seaweed, is a good source of essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium — the big three for lawn health — and various micronutrients that all plants need for growth and health.
“It’s a great way to promote healthier soil,” Beardall says.
Boost Your Idaho Soil with Topdressing
This is a pretty easy way to gradually add beneficial organic matter to your lawn’s soil — you add good stuff to the top.
Use a lightweight soil amendment like compost or peat moss. We’re not talking regular heavy garden soil here. And go easy — use only about a quarter of an inch. Too much will smother your grass.
If you have a small area, you can scatter it with your hands. Or spread a few small piles throughout your yard and lightly rake them into an even, quarter-inch layer.
Mulch Those Grass Clippings
Lawn care in Boise and Idaho Falls means lots of mowing during the active growing season.
Use a mulching blade on your lawn mower to boost your soil while you mow. This is an easy way to add organic matter to your soil whenever you mow.
The grass clippings will naturally decompose, creating a layer of compost on top of the soil.
Another easy tip is to mow over your leaves in the fall instead of raking them. The chopped-up leaves will add nutritious bits to your soil.
Improve Idaho Soil with Core Aeration
If you’ve hung out with us here, you know we’re big fans of aeration to help improve compacted soil.
Core aeration uses a machine to pull out tiny cores of soil from your lawn, allowing water and oxygen to get to the roots.
All the little holes let in water and nutrients that couldn’t make it through that tough, compacted soil before. Now your lawn can breathe.
Aeration is especially beneficial if your Idaho soil contains a lot of thick, sticky clay.
If you’re the neat type, you might be tempted to rake up the little cores of soil left behind by the aerator machine. Save yourself some work and just leave them there. Yes, they look unsightly initially, but they’ll quickly break down and give your soil a great nutrition boost.
Or, Try Liquid Aeration
Instead of using machinery to create those helpful holes, an organic mix of chemicals can be applied to your lawn. This mix breaks down the thatch layer and allows the lawn’s roots to breathe.
While core aeration uses a machine to pull out soil plugs, liquid aeration applies a liquid solution through a sprayer.
Like core aeration, this liquid method improves Idaho soil health by increasing the air and water that can pass through. The liquid solution gradually loosens compacted soil.
How to Get the Best Soil for Your Idaho Lawn? Trust Lawn Buddies
You get the idea — healthy soil is really important for a robust and thriving lawn.
However, healthy Idaho soil is only part of growing an impressive green lawn. Good lawn nutrition involves several important factors, from fertilizer to insect control to battling invasive and tenacious weeds.
It can get overwhelming to keep up with it all - let us make it easy.
Choose lawn care in Boise and Idaho Falls that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan.
We’ve got your back.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then, you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
