Take a stroll down memory lane with me back to your high school chemistry class. The topic at hand is pH. pH stands for Potential Hydrogen, and it’s a measure of how acid or alkaline a particular soil is.
Grass grows best in a fairly neutral soil. The ideal range for most common grasses is a pH of 6.2 to 7. What happens if your pH is lower than that? It means your soil is acidic, and grass growth will tend to be weak and weedy. If your soil pH is lower than 4.5, the odds are pretty good that you’re not growing much in your lawn at all. The same poor grass growth will also result if the soil has a pH of greater than 7.
How can you tell if your lawn is acidic or alkaline? One easy way to handle the problem is to have your lawn service test the soil for you. After they determine what the situation is with your lawn, they can discuss with you the type of soil amendments necessary to adjust the pH of your soil.
Let You Lawn Service Balance the Soil pH for You
If your soil is too acidic, the amendments used to make it more hospitable to growing grass can include many different forms of lime. If your soil is too alkaline, the amendment used to make it more hospitable to growing grass include many different forms of sulfur. Knowing exactly what amendments to use and in what quantity is quite a complex undertaking, which is why it’s advised to work with your local lawn service.
Be aware that it can take up to two years to transition a lawn with a very low or high pH to a more balanced state. The good news is that once soil reaches a balanced state, and is nourished consistently with appropriate nutrients and materials, it will tend to remain a stable, healthy environment for growing grass.
