Michigan State University Extension in Van Buren County provides quality research based educational programs addressing the challenges of a changing community.

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Michigan State University Extension has introduced web portal interface with the internet.
http://www.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/ is our WebPages viewed inside the portal system.
To bust out of the portal frames paste http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/   into your browser's address line .

  With spring comes the desire to get out there and get our lawns greened up. Before you run out and buy a bag of fertilizer it is a good idea to find out what your nutrient needs are first.  The fertilizer bag will tell you how to apply your fertilizer but it won't tell you how much your plants need or what their requirements.  Only a soil test can do that.  

If you are applying fertilizer at rates beyond what your plants can take up in a reasonable amount of time you will be wasting a valuable fertilizer product, your money and risking runoff contamination.  Get a soil sample  and bring it in to our office for analysis and you will get in return fertilizer amount recommendations based on your plants needs. 

Spring is a great time to control those weeds even if you don't fertilize. 

Check these websites for more  turf tips or soil sampling information:

http://turf.msu.edu/ 

How to take a soil sample fact sheet:  http://fieldcrop.msu.edu/documents/E0498.pdf 

http://www.css.msu.edu/SoilTesting.cfm 

Don't Guess Soil Test!

For more information regarding lawn care and gardening contact 
Beth Clawson Extension Educator, Natural Resources/Resource Recovery
at clawsonb@msu.edu