To achieve a fertile soil you must first determine what nutrients are in short supply or are out of balance. The soil pH must be examined to make sure it is within a desirable range which is between 6.3 to 7.0 for most plants. The organic matter content must also be checked. Soil testing is the only effective method to determine the condition of your soil and achieve a fertile living soil that will be able to provide the best environment for your landscape and garden. There are two basic methods of soil testing. The first is to do it yourself by purchasing a soil test kit from a local nursery, hardware store, or mail order garden catalog. Kits test for the three major nutrients used by plants (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) as well as pH. The directions are simple and included with the kit. Making your own recommendations is not so easy.  The second way would be to send your soil off to a lab which still leaves you with the quandry of what to do once you have the results. To make your life easier and your lawn and garden healthier the best solution is to just call us from the start.  We will test your soil, make recommendations and upon your approval we will formulate a custom fertilizer blend that will maintain the health of the soil in your lawn and garden to yield a soil with abundant beneficial organisms that are capable of growing healthy, pest resistant plants.. A soil fertility program should feed the soil not the plant. By creating a fertile soil you will grow healthy, pest resistant plants. As a result the need for costly pest control services is reduced. Specialty fertilizers such as lawn food, rose/flower food and vegetable food) are designed to only feed the plant and ignore soil fertility. A successful landscape or garden maintenance program strives to create a fertile soil. The goal of a sustainable fertility program is to create a favorable environment for plants and millions of beneficial organisms. These microscopic organisms assist plants in obtaining moisture and nutrients. Many of these creatures help resist drought and fight off a variety of pests including weeds, diseases and harmful insects.