Taking a Soil Sample Contact your county Cooperative Extension office or soil testing lab for the fee structure, mailing containers, and other information. Using a small shovel or soil probe, sample to a 3-inch depth. Take approximately 10 to 15 samples per lawn and remove thatch and live plant material. Combine the samples to make one composite sample. Do not mix soils of different texture and color, from areas differing sharply in elevation, or from disturbed sites and undisturbed sites.
Air dry the sample before sending.
After processing your soil sample, the soil test lab will send you a soil test report. Most Indiana soils under turfgrass do not need liming. If lime is recommended, review the following guidelines before making the application. No more than 100 lb. of agricultural lime per 1,000 sq. Ground agricultural limestone or ground agricultural Dolomitic limestone are the preferred forms of lime for use on all turfgrass areas.