Soil for Lawn

Unfortunately, soil quality on most land plots leaves much to be desired. Not only because the soil itself lacks high fertility — soil depletion or contamination by various chemicals often prevent lawn seeding without prior preparation. Moreover, after building a new house, the natural fertile layer is often completely destroyed by heavy machinery or so severely damaged that seeding becomes impossible.

That’s why, for creating decorative lawns, fertile soil enriched with peat, sand, or black soil is often brought in — well-fertilized, fully prepared, and ready for sowing lawn grasses. If the soil on your plot is already in good condition and no imported soil is needed, some preliminary treatment will still be necessary.

Physical Properties of Different Soil Types

Plants, like all living beings on our planet, breathe. Therefore, the most critical indicator for the topsoil under a decorative lawn is its high porosity. Optimal porosity ensures proper gas exchange between the soil and atmospheric air, thus creating ideal conditions for lawn plant vitality.

To determine how well your soil matches lawn creation standards, first identify its physical properties. Only after this assessment can you implement measures to improve its composition and quality.

There are several main types of soil common across our country. You can easily determine their physical composition by touch alone.

Loamy-sandy soil is a loose, crumbly earth made of small clumps. It is ideal as a base layer for lawns of any type.

Soil with a nearly uniform consistency that holds its shape when compressed in the palm is called sandy clay. It allows water to pass through easily, making it unsuitable for lawn planting. In practice, most fertilizers wash out quickly, requiring frequent reapplication. Improving sandy clay to suitable quality demands significant effort both during lawn preparation and ongoing maintenance.

Clay soil in its pure form is not suitable for lawns at all. This dense, non-porous, and non-crumbly earth contains abundant nutrients but barely allows water penetration. As a result, during wet weather, water pools on the surface, while in dry conditions, it cracks and hardens into stone-like consistency.

Clay is one of the heaviest soil types and nearly unusable for lawns. It has a uniform, pliable texture that maintains shape under any mechanical stress. Water moves extremely slowly through such soil, so creating a beautiful lawn here requires major effort.

Peat should not be used in pure form for lawn plants. This almost black, odoriferous soil allows excellent water passage but oxidizes rapidly, leading to lawn deterioration, plant diseases, and weed infestation. Additionally, peat has poor porosity and fails to ensure proper root ventilation.

If your soil belongs to any of these unsuitable types, it doesn’t mean you must give up on your dream of a beautiful lawn. It just means more effort will be required to improve it. Each soil type demands specific rehabilitation measures.

How to Improve Soil Composition for Lawn

Both heavy clay and light sandy soils need prior improvement. The best way to achieve this is by adding organic fertilizers and compost, which dramatically improve both water-air balance and soil fertility.

Peat can also enrich clay soil, acting as an excellent loosener. The same peat is used on light sandy soils, but to improve water retention.

However, peat must be evenly distributed across the lawn surface and thoroughly mixed with the base soil. Neglecting this rule may cause plants planted in the top peat layer to die quickly due to moisture shortage. Additionally, for lawn soil enrichment, lowland peat is recommended — it contains significantly more nutrients than highland peat.

Sandy clay, clay, and pure clay soils must undergo mandatory sanding before seeding. This is done directly before tilling, by adding sand at a rate of 5–15 kg per square meter, depending on the soil type.

Loamy-sandy soil quality can be enhanced by growing cover crops such as wild radish or lupin. This natural pre-treatment enriches the soil with nutrients, and when tilled in, increases soil cohesion, helping retain organic matter and improve overall soil structure.

For soil over-saturated with compost, entirely different preparation methods are required. Since such soil oxidizes rapidly, its acidity must be tested before seeding. Soil samples should be sent to a specialized lab.

For lawn creation, a neutral pH of 6.5–7 is ideal. The greater the deviation from these values, the more maintenance your lawn will need. To reduce acidity, apply lime-based treatments; to increase it, use acidifying fertilizers.

Finally, any soil must be properly fertilized with specialized lawn fertilizers before seeding. The most critical factor for lawn health is balanced proportions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in a 3:1:2.5 ratio. Therefore, before sowing, ensure these elements are properly balanced in the soil by applying appropriate fertilizers.