Lots of plants prefer soils with a pH level of 6.0 – 7.0 and there are also plants that prefer their soils to be a bit acidic.
Others would require their soils to have lower pH levels and take turf grass for example, it prefers a pH level of 6.5 – 7.0. A common fact about soil and pH levels is when the soil has a very high pH level, the plants find it difficult to take up the necessary nutrients that they require for their growth and this also leads to a very short supply of some of the necessary microorganisms that plant needs.
This article is all about ways of making a lawn more acidic.
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Dealing with Lawns With High pH Levels
The pH of every soil can be represented on a 0 to 10 rating and the lower the number of any soil, the higher the acidity level of the soil. 7.0 is the neutral point and if anything goes above this 7.0 level then we refer to it as ALKALINE.
In the case of turf grasses, they like it when their soils are very acidic and this is also very common in centipede grasses but other grasses also prefer their soil to have a 6.5 pH level. If the pH level is high in your soils then you would need to reduce the yard pH.
This is quite easy but first, one thing that needs to be done is a soil test and this is very necessary in helping to determine the level of acidity that needs to be added. You can get a soil test from nurseries or purchasing them online and the beauty of soils tests is that they give out accurate readings and are also very easy to use.
All you need is just to mix the chemical with the soil in a container and the color-coded chart will explain the pH level of the soil. However, you can also determine the pH level of your soil without making use of a soil test.
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All you need to do is put the soil in a small bowl and add distilled water until it turns to a paste. Turn baking vinegar into the bowl and if the mixture fizzes then the soil is alkaline but if there isn’t any fizz then what you have is acidic.
If vinegar isn’t available then you can also make use of baking soda but the results would be the opposite meaning if there isn’t any fizz then its alkaline but if there is a fizz then its acidic. If there is no reaction then it means the pH level of the soil is neutral.
How To Reduce The pH Of A Lawn
Reducing or lowering the pH of any soil would make the soil to acidify so if after carrying out the test and what you get is alkaline then this is what you have to do next.
This would help in reducing the number, therefore, making the soil more acidic and a very easy way to achieve a lower pH in the lawn is through the use of fertilizer made for plants that love acid or through the use of sulfur. It is best to use sulfur when installing or planting a lawn and it takes some months before it breaks down and gets taken by plants.
You would find acidic fertilizers very easy to use and it also proves to be the simplest method to adopt when trying to reduce the pH level in an already existing lawn. One key fact that you must note is that manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to timing, methods, or amount of fertilizer to be added should be strictly adhered to and products like ammonium sulfate should be avoided as well.
Ammonium nitrate is a preferred option to make use of but products that contain amino acids or urea would cause the soil to acidify gradually.
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