Landscape is one of the first things buyers see when they're shopping for a home. That can be good or bad depending on the home's curb appeal. If there's a green, well-maintained lawn, it's an indication that the inside of the home is likely equally cared for. But sometimes getting the lawn to stay green and healthy is a bit challenging. Whether it's brown or yellow lawn or insect problems that are killing off your turf, there's a way to combat the problem. Turf Revolution has a simple way to check the pH of the lawn. Yes, the pH, like with our bodies is important to the overall condition of your turf.

"Turf Revolution takes a proactive approach to lawn care," says Tammy Lawrence. The company makes a soil testing kit that can be purchased for approximately $24.99. The first step in the kit is to take a couple of soil samples, mail them back in and wait for your customized report. "It's done by an independent laboratory. So, it's not Turf Revolution the manufacturer trying to sell one product. It's done by an independent soil test facility that tells you exactly what's happening and these people do golf course and agriculture so they really know what they're talking about," explains Lawrence.

Soil testing is meant to help give you a green thumb by letting homeowners know important information about their particular property and yard. Lawrence says that will save a lot of money.

"The first page of the report that you get back, we call it, 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'. It tells you exactly what's happening in your soil. It'll tell you where your pH levels are, your organic matter levels are, your sodium and a number of other things—that all sounds really complicated to people but it gives you a description about why these things are important to growing a healthy lawn," says Lawrence.

The second page of the report gives homeowners a customized maintenance program that explains when, how much, and where to apply your fertilizer. "It'll give you some corrective solutions as well. So if you have a very acidic soil—that's a low pH—it'll [suggest] a corrective blend of fertilizer to use to correct that problem," says Lawrence.

Much like cooking a gourmet meal, growing a healthy lawn requires having the right ingredients. "It'll give you a shopping list at the bottom so it takes the guess work out of it. It tells you how much you need to purchase and when to apply, just like a professional lawn care operator would do but it's a do-it-yourself program," says Lawrence.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages is that through soil testing and obtaining the results, you can learn how to not waste product, time, and money. "One of the nice things about having this report is that you're actually using what you've purchased more effectively. You're not putting down more than what you need and you're not putting down what you don't need. Also, you're reducing the use of chemicals and pesticides," says Lawrence.

Maintaining a healthy lawn allows you to not have to be reactive. When the lawn gets in very poor shape and homeowners use chemicals and pesticides to kill off insects, much of those products end up in runoff to groundwater.

Additional maintenance tips about how to effectively water and mow your lawn are included with the report. So far, the kit is just for soil testing for lawns but the company is planning to release a soil testing kit for gardens and trees and shrubs, possibly as soon as this fall. For more information visit, turfrevolution.com.

Published: May 28, 2010

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Phoebe Chongchua is an award-winning journalist, an author, customer service trainer/speaker, and founder of Setting the Service Standard, a customer service training and consulting program offered by Live Fit Enterprises (LFE) based in San Diego, California. She is the publisher of Live Fit Magazine, an online publication that features information on real estate/finance, physical fitness, travel, and philanthropy. Her company, LFE, specializes in media services including marketing, PR, writing, commercials, corporate videos, customer service training, and keynotes & seminars. Visit her magazine website: www.LiveFitMagazine.com. Phoebe's articles, feature stories, and columns appear in various publications including The Coast News, Del Mar Village Voice, Rancho Santa Fe Review, and Today's Local News in San Diego, as well as numerous Internet sites. She holds a California real estate license. Phoebe worked for KGTV/10News in San Diego as a Newscaster, Reporter and Community Affairs Specialist for more than a decade. Phoebe's writing is also featured in Donald Trump's book: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buying Foreclosures. She is the author of If the Trash Stinks, TAKE IT OUT! 14 Worriless Principles for Your Success. Contact Phoebe at (858) 259-3646 or . Visit PhoebeChongchua.com for more information.