Bizon Guides

The prose that meets the math.

Every calculator in the toolshop is useful. But they don't contain the why. These guides are the other half: where the number comes from, what things means, and all the fun behind the complexities of plant science and my calculators' necessary disclaimers.

Lawn

Seeding and overseeding a lawn

Half the seed people buy never touches soil. When to spread it, how much, and how to water it until it comes up.

Updated August 2026 6 min read
Soil · Planned

How to order and read a soil test report

Step-by-step: From sample collection to interpreting results. What each line on a lab report means and why they are important.

Soil · Planned

Lime: why, how much, and how

Why two soils reading pH 5.5 require different lime rates, what is ENM and ECCE, and why pH might drift over time.

Water · Planned

Reading an irrigation water test

Alkalinity, pH, macronutrients, micronutrients, and more- the tiny numbers that decide how well your plants grow.

Nutrition · Planned

EC, ppm, and understanding the 500 and 700 scales

Conductivity readings are not all equal. Which conversion a meter uses and how to apply it to your setup.

Light · Planned

PPFD, DLI, and the light spectra

An instantantaneous reading versus the daily total light, why they are both important, and when to use which to answer specific questions.

Lawn · Planned

Fertilizing a lawn

Pounds of nitrogen per thousand square feet, what the three numbers on a fertilizer bag mean, and how to set a spreader setting to acquire a rate.

Trees · Planned

Planting a tree: depth, width, and the first three years

Why a wide hole and native backfill outlive the tree that got compost and a stake, where the root flare belongs, and what watering looks like through establishment.

The tools, for the how:

Soil amendments, lime, irrigation water, light, EC and pH, and more.

Open the toolshop See every tool Demos and interactive tours