Appearance – It should have a dark grown to black color with Few recognizable components of original material remain. Structure is light and crumbly.  The dark color comes from organic material.  Organic material consists of “green organic material” derived from live organic products such as lawn clippings and “brown organic material” derived from dead organic material such as fall leafs.  These organic materials are broken down by soil biolife into humus.  The “green” material supplies food for the biolife and the “brown” material is the home for the biolife.

Texture or particle size – Fine texture, particles smaller than 1/2 inch.  Clay and soil compaction ruins soil texture and renders soil hard when dry and swamp like when wet promoting erosion, lawn disease and weed prominence.

Odor – Sweet earthy aroma, no smell of ammonia or sulfur.  This odor is predominantly causes by adequate soil biolife. 

Microbial profile – * CFU’s / gdw (*colony forming units per dry gram weight).

• 10,000 to 20,000 species of bacteria per gram.
• Aerobic (requiring oxygen) bacteria populations should be between 100 million to 10 billion CFU/gdw*
• Aerobic bacteria should outnumber anaerobic bacteria by ratio of 10:1 or more.
• Pseudomonas (a genus of gamma proteobacteria) bacteria populations should be between 1 thousand to 1 million CFU/gdw*
• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria populations should be between 1 thousand to 1 million CFU/gdw*

• Yeasts and fungi populations should be between 1 to 10 thousand CFU/gdw*
• Actinomycetes (a broad group of bacteria that form thread-like filaments in the soil) populations should be between 1 to 100 million CFU/gdw*

Years of applications of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have made your soil biologically sterile.  The number and activity of microorganisms in the soil is depleted.  High salt fertilizations programs reduce humus count to less than 2%.  Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides make your lawn green but they also turn your lawn into “a junky” that always need more.  A green lawn is not necessarily a healthy lawn.

Carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio) – 15:1 to 20:1.  “Brown” organic material is high in carbon and low in nitrogen.  “Green” organic material is high in nitrogen and low in carbon.  To improve your lawn soil, mow grass and fallen leaves of lawn with mulching blades.  The soil biolife will quickly decompose these into healthy organic humus.

Organic matter – A healthy lawn should have more than 25% organic matter.

Heavy metals – Lower than allowable limits.  California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) Charitable Trust and Washington’s Safe Food and Fertilizer tested 29 fertilizers from 12 states for 22 toxic metals in dangerous quantities (Aluminum (Al), Antimony (Sb), Arsenic (As), Barium (Ba), Beryllium (Be), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni), Selenium (Se), Silver (Ag), Thallium (Tl), Thallium (Tl), Uranium (U), and Zinc (Zn). This report documents the results of these fertilizer samples, demonstrates that the problem of toxic fertilizers is widespread, and details concerns with proposed regulations for the practice.  Add to this list the thousands of hazardous compounds and then think about yourself, your spouse, your children and your pets.

Each of these metals is suspected or known to be toxic to humans and the environment by the U.S. EPA. Nine metals, like arsenic and lead, are known or suspected to cause cancer and ten metals, like mercury, are linked to developmental effects. Three of the tested metals – lead, cadmium and mercury – are also persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). PBTs persist for long periods of time in the environment – some indefinitely – and they can accumulate in the tissues of humans and wildlife, increasing the long-term health risks at even low levels of exposure. These three metals cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive problems.

Liquid organic lawn care products are more effective, less expensive over the long run and have no hazardous waste fillers.

pH – 5.0 – 7.1 optimal depends on turf type.  Note: Most broadleaf weeds like soil pH above 7.0.  With the exception of St. Augustine grass, ideal pH is a deterrent to broadleaf weeds such as crabgrass.

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