The Dirt on Soil Amendments

Why Use Soil Amendments?

With falling leaves and cooling temperatures comes the season of soil amendments. Lawns and pastures benefit from various amendments in the fall, often as additives like conditioners and fertilizers, but also via cover cropping and overseeding. Take it from our expert, Zach Fletcher: “Fall seeding is crucial for establishing a resilient and thriving landscape in Colorado. By adding soil amendments and applying a balanced fall fertilizer, you improve soil health and promote deeper root growth, giving grasses and wildflowers the strength they need to withstand the upcoming winter freeze. This preparation ensures a denser, healthier stand come spring.”

Before You Start

Amendment protocols often begin with soil tests to determine what your soil needs, which can be purchased as DIY kits or by sending soil samples to your Local Cooperative Extension Office. Otherwise, there are visual cues that your soil needs amending as well, such as a patchy lawn or a pasture with poor vigor. With that information in hand, there are a variety of options for increasing your soil’s fertility during the fall months.

Additives vs. Cover Crops vs. Overseeding

You can amend your soil in a variety of ways, depending on the setting and goal in mind.

Additives

AVSeeds carries both additives and fertilizers that are appropriate for fall application. These include Biosol Forte, Humate, MycoApply® Ultrafine Endo, and our 16-16-8-8S-1FE fertilizer. Adding these amendments this time of year gives them time to interact with your soil and realize the benefits come spring. They each improve soil structure, beneficial microbe activity, disease resistance and soil fertility to set your lawn up for success in the spring. Stay tuned – we’ll soon be featuring each of these projects and the nitty-gritty of how they really work in your soil to help your project thrive.

Cover Crops

Careful management of soil fertility is vital for prosperous pastures and crop fields. Rangeland and other agroecosystems that have been thinned by overgrazing or drought can be revitalized and protected over the winter by overseeding with a cover crop when resting the area isn’t possible. Nitrogen-fixing, cool-season legumes such as crimson clover, winter peas, and vetches all help restore depleted soils.

As an example, in Colorado and other areas with cold winters, winter peas and vetch are particularly popular. Winter-hardy cereal grains such as triticale and winter rye can provide erosion control and protective mulch that suppresses weeds and reduces water needs. We offer a wide variety of cover crop species and are happy to get you the right species to suit your needs.

Overseeding

Overseeding is particularly important for maintaining dense, healthy lawns. You can overseed in the early fall to allow for germination and establishment before the winter cold sets in or do a dormant seeding after the first hard freeze so that the seed is conditioned to get an early start come spring. We have several turf mixes well-suited for fall overseeding, including our Blue Valley, Premium Lawn, Triple Star, and Native Wonder mixes. Learn about the finer details and benefits of overseeding in our blog here.

AVSeeds is your home for all the fall soil amendments you need to keep your lawn lush and your pastures productive; please call, email, or visit for personalized recommendations to set your soil up for success!

Call: 303-320-7500

Email: [email protected]

Visit: 4300 N Monaco St Pkwy, Denver, CO 80216

Happy Seeding!
Elizabeth “Izzie” Hedrick-Collins