New Hanover County Arboretum offering free soil testing until Thanksgiving

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — If you have a green thumb or have a knack for working in your yard, a free service in New Hanover County could be beneficial to you.

The New Hanover County Arboretum is currently offering soil testing for free. From April until Thanksgiving, you can bring in a soil sample from your lawn or garden to be tested. They can test for various things in your soil such as PH levels. Once the results are back, master gardeners at the arboretum will be able to recommend the best course of action to help your lawn or plants thrive. They can give you advice about the best fertilizer to use and how much to apply.

According to Matthew Collogan with the New Hanover County Arboretum, it’s important to know exactly what your soil needs.

“But it’s all about a balance, more is not better. So for example, if you have an excessive amount of phosphorus and every year you keep adding your 10-10-10 because that’s what you’ve always done, you’re eventually going to get an excessive amount of phosphorus. That would result in your plant not being able to absorb nitrogen.” Collogan said.

Collogan also added that the arboretum offers fact sheets, information and plant recommendations for the area you live in.