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For gardeners and lawn enthusiasts, seasonal lawn care often follows a familiar rhythm: checking the forecast, watching the calendar and hoping the timing is right.
When the air temperature reaches 60 degrees F in early spring, it can seem like the right time to seed. When neighbors start mowing, it can seem like time to follow. When a warm week arrives, many homeowners decide to plant, water or apply products based on how the weather feels above ground.
The challenge, according to SoilIQ founder Teddy Mutterperl, is that soil conditions often tell a different story.
“SoilIQ was built around a simple idea: Most lawn and garden decisions should not be based on air temperature alone,” said Mutterperl. “With LawnIQ, the app helps users understand not just what the soil is doing, but what they may want to do next — mow, water, seed, protect or wait.”
What SoilIQ does
SoilIQ is an iOS app using location-specific forecast model data, soil temperature estimates, 14-day forecasts and depth-layer readings to help homeowners, gardeners, landscapers and growers make better-timed lawn and garden decisions.
Instead of relying only on calendar dates or air temperature, SoilIQ gives users a clearer view of what is happening below the surface. It estimates soil temperature at multiple depths — the surface, 2 inches, 6 inches and 21 inches — and tracks those values over time. The app also adds moisture and rainfall context, highlights frost risk and uses trends to show whether conditions are warming, stable, cooling or about to shift.
No sensor is required to get started. Users can open the app, select a location and view soil and forecast context for a lawn, backyard, garden, community plot, farm field or other outdoor growing space.
Version 2.2.0: Introducing LawnIQ
The centerpiece of SoilIQ 2.2.0 is LawnIQ, a lawn guidance system built directly into the app. Where SoilIQ has helped to monitor soil conditions and plan garden timing, LawnIQ uses that same soil intelligence into the specific context of lawn care.
LawnIQ is configured based on the user’s grass type, mower type, irrigation setup, lawn goals and recent activity. It uses that information, along with current soil temperature, forecast trends and logged history, to provide daily guidance on when to mow, water, seed or overseed, when green-up conditions are present, when preemergent timing windows may be approaching, when heat stress risk is elevated and when it may be preferable to wait.
Lawn activity and field notes
A key part of LawnIQ is the lawn activity log. Users can record when they mow, water, overseed, fertilize, aerate or apply a preemergent treatment. These entries help SoilIQ provide context over time so recommendations reflect both current conditions and recent activity.
For example, if a user has recently mowed, LawnIQ can reflect that context. If a user waters ahead of expected rainfall, the app can help reduce unnecessary watering. When a seeding window is open, SoilIQ can show how current and forecast soil conditions may affect timing.
SoilIQ also includes field notes for broader lawn, garden and growing observations. Users can log notes, photos, soil conditions and weather context by location, creating a record that can support decisions in future seasons.
PlantAI: Guidance for the garden side
Alongside LawnIQ, SoilIQ includes PlantAI, a crop-specific guidance system that covers more than 130 vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruits. PlantAI uses soil temperature, forecast conditions, frost risk, moisture signals and timing windows to indicate which crops are likely ready to plant, which are approaching an optimal window and which should wait.
PlantAI is designed for growers who have found that calendar dates or seed packet frost estimates do not always match conditions at a specific location, providing a soil-based starting point instead.
PlantAI is designed for growers who have found that calendar dates or seed packet frost estimates do not always match conditions at a specific location, providing a soil-based starting point instead. This combination makes SoilIQ applicable for both lawn and garden use, allowing users to check LawnIQ for mowing, watering or seeding guidance and then switch to PlantAI to review planting readiness for vegetables, herbs, flowers and other crops.
Saved locations and probe calibration
SoilIQ 2.2.0 supports users who manage multiple lawns, gardens, fields or properties. Saved locations let users track each area separately, with its own soil conditions, forecast context, lawn profile and activity history.
For more local precision, SoilIQ offers optional probe calibration.
Users have the ability to enter thermometer or probe readings for a specific location and depth to better align the app’s estimates with on-site conditions, including microclimates, shaded areas, irrigated spaces and different soil types.
Built for Apple devices
SoilIQ is available for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Users are able to view soil temperature, forecast trends, LawnIQ guidance, PlantAI readiness, saved locations, journal entries and calibration settings within the app.
Apple Watch support provides quick soil and lawn snapshots from the wrist, while widgets and Live Activities keep current conditions visible without opening the app. Siri support enables hands-free soil checks, and iPad support offers a larger view for planning forecasts, planting windows, journal entries and lawn guidance.
Why soil temperature matters
Soil temperature is a key signal for lawn and garden timing because it influences biological activity below the surface.
For lawns, it can help inform green-up, seed germination, active growth, mowing pressure, pre-emergent timing and stress risk. And for gardens, it helps users understand whether crops are more likely to germinate, establish roots or struggle due to cold soil or nearby frost risk. Many common mistakes happen because people act on how warm the air feels rather than whether the soil is ready. SoilIQ is designed to close that gap by making soil intelligence easier to see and use, according to the company.
SoilIQ Pro
SoilIQ is free to download and includes access to current soil condition previews. SoilIQ Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription with a seven-day free trial and adds LawnIQ and PlantAI guidance, 14-day soil forecasts, saved locations, journals and lawn activity tools, probe calibration, smart alerts, Apple Watch insights and advanced planning views.
SoilIQ is built and maintained independently by Teddy Mutterperl, based in Bergen County, N.J. He states it is designed with privacy in mind — no account is required, and location data is used only to fetch soil and weather conditions, not to build a user profile.
SoilIQ 2.2.0 is available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The app requires iOS 16 or later.
