Calling All Lawn Guys..... High PH soil

[BigRichard]

So I just did a test on my soil today and it appears I have a rather high PH. I would like to bring it back down into an acidic PH rather than an alkaline PH. I know Aluminum Sulfate is supposed to help bring it back down but is there a good product that anyone can recommend? Any other suggestions to help speed up the process?

Edit:

Antifreeze did not help

[cosmo20002]

So I just did a test on my soil today and it appears I have a rather high PH. I would like to bring it back down into an acidic PH rather than an alkaline PH. I know Aluminum Sulfate is supposed to help bring it back down but is there a good product that anyone can recommend? Any other suggestions to help speed up the process?

Edit:

Antifreeze did not help

Start urinating on your lawn.

[TLO]

"I'm here to check your pH balance and deliver the sausage you ordered."
---- American Dad

[cosmo20002]

http://www.ehs.ucr.edu/hazardousmaterials/images/sulfuric_acid.jpg

[milkman]

Anti freeze didn't help?

Did you try burning it with aids fire?

[BigRichard]

Anti freeze didn't help?

Did you try burning it with aids fire?

Damn, I forgot that one. Can you recommend a store to pick that up at?

[Fairplay]

KC native is an expert lawn mower.

[Stewie]

Sulfur, or sulfur-inclusive products.

[Buehler445]

I assume your grass is showing some iron chlorosis?

It'd be cheaper to run foliar iron. Even over the long term.

[eDave]

How high is it? Anything lower than 7.5 is OK for "most" vegetation. You shouldn't get above 7.0 for optimum vegetation. You will see iron, zinc and phosphorus deficiencies as alkalinity increases. You can bring it down but it will take some work, and some time. Adding sulfer is the fastest way. Adding organics helps too. Mulch pine needles and use that. Sawdust too

Or you can dig it all up and resoil. But you still have to get the water down to the limestone to maintain alkilinity. I water at night now so the water can seep longer before it evaporates, but I live in AZ.

If resoiling, resoil with some limestone mixed in. Bringing it up is far easier than bringing it down.

[Buzz]

I was going to say pelletized lime to neutralize the PH, but after a quick check, looks like it will take you in the wrong direction.

[BigRichard]

How high is it? Anything lower than 7.5 is OK for "most" vegetation. You shouldn't get above 7.0 for optimum vegetation. You will see iron, zinc and phosphorus deficiencies as alkalinity increases. You can bring it down but it will take some work, and some time. Adding sulfer is the fastest way. Adding organics helps too. Mulch pine needles and use that. Sawdust too

Or you can dig it all up and resoil. But you still have to get the water down to the limestone to maintain alkilinity. I water at night now so the water can seep longer, but I live in AZ.

If resoiling, resoil with some limestone mixed in. Bringing it up is far easier than bringing it down.

The little tester I got only goes up to 7.5 and it is at that so I assume it is higher. I have had a lot of issue with trees growing in the area as well as grass not being very green so I decided to test it. For the sulfer, is there a product you recommend?

[cdcox]

I just finished mowing my "lawn" which consists of a heterogeneous patchwork of ground ivy, clover, ribwort, moss, and crab grass.

[Buzz]

I just finished mowing my "lawn" which consists of a heterogeneous patchwork of ground ivy, clover, ribwort, moss, and crab grass.

As long as you don't have dandy lions, call it good.

[Rasputin]

KC native is an expert lawn mower.

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AcJXRFjbx80" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[cdcox]

As long as you don't have dandy lions, call it good.

Eh, they pop up every spring, but are gone by now.

[Buzz]

Eh, they pop up every spring, but are gone by now.

Are they, you did cross cut right? If not you may be doing it wrong.

[eDave]

The little tester I got only goes up to 7.5 and it is at that so I assume it is higher. I have had a lot of issue with trees growing in the area as well as grass not being very green so I decided to test it. For the sulfer, is there a product you recommend?

Give this a whirl:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-20-lb-Fast-Acting-Sulfur-100510896/203342315

Don't overdue it and be patient. Water it moderately but often. You need that shit to seep into the soil.

If you are really feeling like getting into it, till the whole yard before applying, water for a few days, then till it again. Rather, rinse, repeat.

Going forward, stray away from ferts that could cause alkalinity to increase (Sodium Bicarbonate). However, if you OVER compensate on the surfer, which is hard to do, Sodium Bicarbonate is your equalizer.

I'd like to hear more about Beuhler's suggestion.

[cdcox]

Are they, you did cross cut right? If not you may be doing it wrong.

Ain't nobody got time for that.

[Buzz]

Ain't nobody got time for that.

;)

[jeff h]

If your sample didn't include multiple parts of your yard then I would disregard. I have sent several off via John Deere landscapes (used to be called lesco) and have yet to see a yard that was outside the normal range. I can't count how many customers wanted me to lime their yard without a soil test. I wouldn't do it and good for you testing before you tried anything. BTW... when the test comes back it should give you amount of lime or aluminum sulfate to bring it back within limits. Grass pad or John Deere landscapes should have what you need and the knowledge to help you apply it yourself.

[Bugeater]

While we're on this subject, it's been raining like crazy here for the past couple months and my lawn is growing really fast, and I have to mow it every week and it's fucking hot out and I don't really like doing it. Any suggestions on how to solve this problem?

[TLO]

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AcJXRFjbx80" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Reported.

[BigRichard]

If your sample didn't include multiple parts of your yard then I would disregard. I have sent several off via John Deere landscapes (used to be called lesco) and have yet to see a yard that was outside the normal range. I can't count how many customers wanted me to lime their yard without a soil test. I wouldn't do it and good for you testing before you tried anything. BTW... when the test comes back it should give you amount of lime or aluminum sulfate to bring it back within limits. Grass pad or John Deere landscapes should have what you need and the knowledge to help you apply it yourself.

I grabbed soil from 4 different spots. The test also said to get it from 3-4 inches down if working with trees. Since that has been my main concern that is where I took the samples from.

[kccrow]

Till in some Sphagnum Peat Moss... it'll help with much more than just lowering pH. See where you're at after that... then add a bit of sulfur if need be. Grass grows best around 6.5. Best thing is check what trees grow best in that pH and plant those. Most trees grow well around that, especially hardwoods and fruit bearing trees.

[LoneWolf]

While we're on this subject, it's been raining like crazy here for the past couple months and my lawn is growing really fast, and I have to mow it every week and it's ****ing hot out and I don't really like doing it. Any suggestions on how to solve this problem?

RoundUp Max with a little dish soap.

[Buehler445]

How high is it? Anything lower than 7.5 is OK for "most" vegetation. You shouldn't get above 7.0 for optimum vegetation. You will see iron, zinc and phosphorus deficiencies as alkalinity increases. You can bring it down but it will take some work, and some time. Adding sulfer is the fastest way. Adding organics helps too. Mulch pine needles and use that. Sawdust too

Or you can dig it all up and resoil. But you still have to get the water down to the limestone to maintain alkilinity. I water at night now so the water can seep longer before it evaporates, but I live in AZ.

If resoiling, resoil with some limestone mixed in. Bringing it up is far easier than bringing it down.

Thiosulfate is the answer but if he's got legitimately high PH, he'll never get there. Plus it'll burn the balls out of his grass.

Be careful with pine needles. They're allelopathic for a lot of plants.

The little tester I got only goes up to 7.5 and it is at that so I assume it is higher. I have had a lot of issue with trees growing in the area as well as grass not being very green so I decided to test it. For the sulfer, is there a product you recommend?

Do you have a basement? Probably what they did is put the basement dirt around your yard. If it's yellow it will be the source. If you've got 6" of yellow soil with decent black dirt under it, you can probably rectify that. If you have 6 feet, you're boned. You'll buy truckloads of fertilizer and never get there. Ever.

You should probably pull a 2" core. If there is a coop around see of they'll do it and run it for you.

If you have 6' of high pH, run foliar fertilizers. Around here, high pH ties up phosphate and iron. I recently saw my lawn fertilizer is "Eco-friendly" and has no phosphate. Which is mind boggling because nitrogen leaches far far worse. Stupid. Anyway, phosphate might fix you.

Be careful putting down mulches manure etc, you'll end up with a lawn higher than your house. Bad news.

[HonestChieffan]

pH testers are bullshit. Ignore it and take a soil sample and send to a real soil lab.

[Bwana]

Say screw it and go this route.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QsMxVw0Ubm8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Dayze]

tilled up my yard. getting ride of the new dead sod / netting. ('"new construction" ...about 2 years)

tilled the shit out of it until it was a fine soil. then dropped some new top soil on top. applied about 8-10lbs (I think it was about a 1000 sq ft area) of creeping fescue, and some nitrogen heavy fertilizer, covered with pete moss. HEAVY watering in the morning and a light one about 6pm. within 3 days, there was a green haze over my yard and within about 10 days it was growing like crazy. after about 2 mowings at 3"+ (and having new blades grinded to a sup sharp blade at a local metal shop) the shit was 'turf'. I could barely keep my mower on track as it seemed to float over the grass

Had neighbors leaving notes on my door or mailbox asking me for the lawn company I used etc; or neighbors walking their dogs stopping to take pictures. Of course, now I rent and don'g GAF.
I probably could've gotten something even more killer if I checked the Ph (which I 'should've done at the beginning.....still banging my head on that one)

[Dayze]

in all seriousness, my next house (considering we were foreclosed upon in 2008) in a few years will be a tiny ranch on a very small lot and my front yard will be fucking field turf. I"m not even kidding either. I have no idea what it would cost, but I would sell a kidney to pay for it.

[MTG#10]

pH testers are bullshit. Ignore it and take a soil sample and send to a real soil lab.

Cheap pH testers are bullshit. I have one of these (https://www.getbluelab.com/products/type/meters/combo-meter.aspx), it works great and is very accurate.

[Iowanian]

It sounds to me like you need pellet lime.


I have about 1.5 acres of destroyed yard right now. As of this morning still had skid loader spreading topsoil and doing final grade. My biggest decision is either to till it, seed it, cover it and hope for rain through the summer, or cover it with straw and wait until fall.

[MTG#10]

Lime raises pH. If his pH is really high and he truly wishes to lower it the stuff eDave linked is what he needs.

[Iowanian]

Duh. You're right. I didn't read what he said the right way.