SOIL PH CONTROL

    This article is about proper SOIL PH control.
It will explain why keeping your PH under control
and in balance is so important if you want to
have a healthy and happy lawn. Chemicals and
equipment will be discussed along with details
on how to best use them.

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    WHAT IS "SOIL PH" AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
	
   PH balance in soil is vital if you expect to have a
healthy and green lawn from season to season. Though
soil PH is generally stable, it will tend to move in
one direction over time. This direction is almost always
negative, which is an indication of a high acid condition, 
and when the movement exceeds certain guidelines, the 
consequence will be grass and plants that won't grow right
or be able to maintain themselves. They will appear 
stunted, easily succumb to fungus and other disease and
in extreme cases, just die. The need to both monitor
and maintain a proper PH is both mission critical and
ever ongoing. Yet PH is often neglected. Homeowners in
particular seem to pay PH no heed; they will fuss and
fight with their turf from year to year never being
able to obtain the look they want. All the fertilizer,
fungicide and water can't save a yard which is out of
PH balance. This article will explain what a healthy
PH represents, why it is important to maintain for 
both grass and gardens as well as offer directions on
how to adjust and correct PH imbalances.
   Since PH is something that is not seen, it is
very much misunderstood and often neglected. Generally
the last thing one thinks about when it comes to
taking care of plants, grass or gardens is the PH.
This is wrong. It should be the first thing accessed. 
Without starting with the proper PH, all effort and 
energies spent gardening could be in vain. PH is by 
far the single most important soil variable in the 
"growing grass and gardens" equation. Only when the
PH is right can the other variables become significant.
One may be able to ignore soil PH initially but
ultimately its impact will be felt. Think of PH as
the chemical balance of the soil. When PH is in balance,
plants and other forms of life have a chance to prosper
and live healthy happy lives. Food is economically
processed, medications will have a maximum positive
impact and growth abounds. When PH is out of whack,
growth will slow. Plants will not be able to utilize
nitrogen and other food properly. Ultimately, the very 
process of photosynthesis will be adversely affected
to such a degree that plants will weaken and die. They
will give way to fungus and other disease. Worse is
the fact that fungicide treatments will fail in large
part to the out of whack PH. As PH gets out of balance,
local plants will work harder and harder yet produce
less and less. Unbalanced PH is the single easiest
thing to correct yet the average gardener and weekend
landscaper pays it no mind. More importantly, it
is one of the least costly conditions to treat and
maintain and when PH is at its right level, plants will
be able to function both efficiently and effectively.
This "functioning in harmony" with its soil tends to 
lower maintenance and food costs which provide even
more cost reduction. Yet PH is still largely ignored
and misunderstood. Hopefully this article will help
explain just how important PH should be to anyone
that wants to grow plants.
   As stated above, proper PH balance is critical if
one expects to grow grass, plants, shrubs or flowers.
Though some plants will prefer acidic or alkaline
balances, the vast majority of turf which is utilized
around the world requires a somewhat neutral balance.
This balance is considered equal when the measurable
PH scores a "7.0" on the PH scale. In order to know the 
PH of soil, one needs to use a PH measuring device. There
are many such devices available including PH KITS
and PH PROBES. Though the kits have been around a
long time and seem to give a good reading when used
properly, the Soil Probes have come a long way and
can now do an equal job at measuring PH. Our tests
show the two units featured above give almost exact
soil measurements and feel confident they will do a
good job of helping you both monitor and maintain 
any soil you measure. If you grow anything from grass
to flowers, you MUST have a PH Testing device. More
importantly, you must use it at least twice a year.
Keep a journal and record your test results. Over
time you will see a pattern emerge which, once identified,
will allow you to make periodic adjustments as needed.
   Once you are able to measure soil PH, do so in
all areas where you intend to grow something. Such
areas include dirt for grass, flowers, shrubs, trees
and vegetable gardens. It also includes flower pots
and mulch islands. It is quite common for the owner
of a potted plant to change the soil after every 
year or so because the "soil went bad". In most
every case what has really happened is that key
ingredients needed for growing the plant are no
longer present. Most commonly missing is not fertilizer
but having a balanced PH. The mere act of fertilizing
tends to lower PH and over time - which can be a
very short period of time with potted plants - this 
lowering is both substantial and significant. Since 
potted plants have such little amount of soil involved, 
PH can change dramatically within a few months. This 
same change will happen outside in the yard if one is 
not careful to monitor these levels.
   Though fertilizer and the act of fertilizing tends
to lower PH, there are many other factors all of
which may contribute to a lower score. The list
includes but is not limited to:

1) Rain. Rain water is almost always acidic and is
one of the larger contributors to a negative PH
(remember "Acid Rain"? Well, it hasn't gone away).
2) Pine Straw. As pine straw breaks down and decomposes
naturally into the soil, it releases a lot of acid
by products which will leach into the dirt. This 
leaching will have a profound impact on local PH 
levels and yet is rarely identified as a major 
contributor.
3) Mulch. Other mulching products like wood chips,
recycled tree parts or common compost ingredients
all tend to lower PH due to similar chemical
releases like that released from pine straw.
4) Thatch. The act of leaving grass clippings on
your yard following a mowing lowers PH.
5) Local Manufacturing. In many regions of the world,
particularly the industrialized countries, factories
and other processing plants which discharge air and
other fumes will many times be releasing acidic
particles which find their way back into the local
soil with the help of rain.
6) Snow. Since snow is water, it commonly has 
a low PH like rain. Regions which experience little
rain but a lot of snow wonder how they could have a
lowered PH when in fact snow can be the culprit.
7) Pets. Allowing dogs, cats and other animals to 
defecate in your yard - particularly in gardens and
sections of grass you are trying to cultivate - 
can have a big impact. Their excrement is very
acidic and should not be released in such areas.
Since the norm is to overlook such behavior because
its hard to imagine such little releases could
amount to anything, within a couple of years time 
the local PH will be adversely affected and require 
adjustment.
8) Chemical treatments. Fertilizer is probably the
biggest factor when it comes to chemicals that
affect the local PH. However, many insecticides -
like insect granules or fungicides - will also
tend to lower this balance.
9) Septic tanks. Any property which hosts a septic
waste system is more likely to have PH trouble.
Whether its the fumes or natural degradation
of the waste, any property with this type of disposal
system is more prone to PH fluctuations.
10) Watering. Though most people think of water
as having a high PH, it commonly is found to
have a low PH and the use of either on a regular
basis will have an impact on local balances. Be
sure to test all water supplies you use on gardens
and grass so you know in advance what kind of impact
such supplies will have.

   The factors listed above are meant to alert any
property owner to the main contributors of PH
imbalances. Any of the listed factors can 
singlehandedly impact local PH to such a degree 
that just growing grass could become difficult. 
More importantly, since all of them tend to work 
on PH in the same way, the combination of two or 
three of these factors together can be devastating. 
At this point it should be clear to anyone reading 
this article that PH is important and should be 
measured and maintained to keep it properly balanced. 
Now that PH significance is understood, lets look at 
the ways one can manipulate and maintain the PH level.


 HOW DO I RAISE MY PH NOW THAT I KNOW ITS TOO LOW?
 
   As stated above, PH tends to lower itself over
time. As the author has also stated, anyone that
does even the most minimal amount of yard work needs
to be actively monitoring PH. In other words, anyone
that either waters, fertilizes or maintains any
plants at any time of the year inside or outside of
their home or other property is someone that clearly
qualifies as needing a PH Measuring Device. Assuming
that you now have such a device and have done some
measuring, its time to start interpreting the data
accumulated and deciding on a course of action.
   First, the current level of PH will vary for
any given total property area. It is quite common for
an area at the top of an incline to have a PH much 
different from an area of soil at the bottom of the
incline just 50 feet away. For this reason it is
suggested that sample tests be done for every
1000 sq/ft. More could be needed - especially if 
you have small areas which are independent of other
areas - and then once measured, all the data neatly
recorded for future comparisons. Though yards vary
in size, 5000-10000 sq/ft of turf is a very average
amount of soil for a lot of homes. That being said,
the author has seen 5000 sq/ft lots which have had
a PH range of 6.5 down to below 5.0. The variables
and factors which influence PH are many and the 
results of initial testing never fail to surprise.
Once the initial measurement is done, subsequent
measurements every 6 months will then reveal traits
and characteristics common for the soil which is
being tested. In most cases, there will be trends
and areas which will fluctuate more then other
areas in the yard. Rare is it to find a 10,000
sq/ft section of soil that maintains a constant
PH over the course of a year. More common for such
an area would be to find most of it has moved down
.5 or less with a small area having moved .5 or more.
The key, if you want to be cultivating such soil, is
to know the spots and areas which are more susceptible
to change. Once found, adjustments can be made to them
on a more frequent basis. Such areas will occur due
to water flow and inclines which will be washing
fertilizers, chemicals, acidic compost and other
by low PH compounds to a specific spot. Many times
that "one spot I can't seem to grow grass" turns out
to be a trouble spot for keeping a balanced PH. Once
again, the act of PH measurement becomes mission
critical to fixing this problem.
   The next important "work" you must do involves
determining the square footage of the area you want to
regulate. Most people refer to their lawn as "1/2
acre" or "1/4 acre" which is usually the size of the
entire property. In other words, this is the total
"lot" size and includes the house, garage, decks,
driveways, walk ways and other surfaces which are 
not turf. If you intend on keeping your PH within
a certain range, an exact measurement of the turf
you want to control is critical and needed. Without
this exact number, it is not practical to apply
anything and that includes insecticide, herbicide,
fungicide, fertilizer, etc. If you intend on keeping
the PH well maintained, you will need to get out a
tape measure and calculate the square footage of the
turf around your property. In most cases, this will
be done in sections. It is not uncommon for the average
home to have 5-10 "sections" of turf. The best way
to get a total is to measure each section, record
the square footage for each one and keep a running
total. Remember, square footage is "length x width".
For example, a rectangular front yard which measures
75 feet wide by 60 feet long has a total area of
4500 sq/ft. Get such measurements for all "sections"
of the property and record them in great detail.
This information will become invaluable at some
later time when you may have to make some subtle
adjustments to certain areas. And don't rely on
"walking off" the measurement. Rarely can one walk
around their yard and get an accurate measurement.
Take the time to use a long tape measure or better
yet, a MEASURING WHEEL. This tool is easy to use
and will save time and effort in the long run. Most
importantly, the measurements it takes are accurate.
This is critical for proper turf maintenance.
   Now that you know the size of the turf you want
to maintain and you know the PH measurement, you can
decide if you need to make any PH adjustments. There
are a few rules to follow regarding such adjustments.

1) First, its always best to make adjustments during 
the "off season" or the time when the plants in the 
soil will be slow growing. This is generally during 
the winter or cool season. 
2) Secondly, there are some guidelines as to when
adjustments are warranted. If your initial measurement 
is a 7.0, there is no need for anything to be done 
regardless of when the measurement is made. However,
a 7.0 measurement in January followed by a 6.5 in July 
would mean adjustment time is near if not needed. Since
its not best to adjust during the growing season, it
is probably better if you wait till November or December 
and proceed with adjustment at that time for the
example above. However, if an initial measurement of
7.0 in January was then a 6.0 in July, an adjustment
will probably be needed immediately. The final
decision will have to be made dependent on what type
of plants are being grown in the soil, how long
of a growing season is left and the how important
the plant life is which is currently residing in
the soil. For any PH measured below a 6.0, adjustment
should almost always be done immediately unless this
level is desired for some type of a special situation.
If you are experiencing PH drops of more then 1.0 every
6 months, it will be important to get on some type of
regular PH maintenance program throughout the year
that will be pro active to insure it is kept up at
acceptable levels.
   The most common way to adjust PH is with the use
of Lime. Most commonly found as either or a gray or
white type powder, lime measures high on the PH
scale and will cancel out with the current high acidic 
condition of the soil. This process will "adjust" the
current PH level and hopefully bring it more
to a balanced value. There are some guidelines to 
follow as to how much lime should be applied based 
on how much of an adjustment is needed. This is not 
an exact science due to uncertainty regarding just 
how much lime will actually impact the local soil and 
not run off. It is further influenced by how deep
the low PH exists in the soil combined with the
uncertainty of what it is that is making the PH
drop in the first place. If available, the use of
pelletized lime is more desirable. Not only is it
a cleaner material to apply then the old powdery
grade, pelletized lime tends to stay where you
spread it. Wind and water runoff won't affect it
nearly as much as the powder grade so use the
pellet if you can find it. Read the label to see
just how much you should start with when spreading it
but most formulations will list 40 lbs to be spread
for every 1000 sq/ft that needs a +.5 PH adjustment.
Most will also advise not to exceed 40 lbs per application
to allow the material to settle in and mix with
the soil. Make sure you either water or get a good
few rain falls over the next month to help the lime
breakdown and mix with the soil. Also, be sure to
apply it to all areas of the yard including pine
straw beds, mulch areas, flower beds and turf areas
of grass. 
   Apply the lime monthly during the off season
and be sure to measure your PH 4-5 weeks after
applications to make sure it is rising accordingly.
If you are not getting the results you want or
if it during the growing season and you want 
immediate PH change, use some LIQUID LIME. This
highly alkaline liquid can be sprayed out
with one of our SPRAYERS and will influence
the soil PH reading quickly. Again, use it on
all areas of the yard which will insure no area
is missed that has a low PH. Water it in or time
applications just before a rain to get a good
"soak in" once applied. Liquid Lime is handy 
to use during the growing season when you find
your PH is out of whack. Such applications are
commonly needed during the hot months when it
is learned that the PH is bad and has been
allowing the grass to get a fungus or other
disease. At this point, if you intend on saving
the grass, Liquid Lime will be the only PH
adjuster that can be used. It's fast acting and
will many times get the level back up to where
the grass can then remain healthy and strong
enough to endure the stress and heat summer
brings. And to better understand just how often
your grass will get stressed, the use of some
STRESS DETECTION GLASSES can be a real "eye
opener" - no pun intended. These glasses will
reveal the way your turf really feels. By filtering
out the green color of most plants, Stress
Detection Glasses will show healthy and happy
grass or other plants as black or grey. When
stressed, they will look brown, yellow or pink.
Stress can be caused by disease, parasites, lack
of food or lack of water. And by not keeping
your soils PH balanced, plant life will be that
much more vulnerable to all these factors.
With Stress Glasses, you can look over turf on
a regular basis and spot problems long before
they fully develop. This early detection will
enable you to take some defensive action before
substantial damage can occur.
   For those of you that live in areas where the
PH can get a bit on the high side, you'll need
to bring it back down with some Sulpher. There
isn't any liquid form of this PH lowering soil
additive so you'll have to use the SULPHER GRANULES.
We have a 90% granule that can be added as needed.
Start with using 50 lbs per 1/2 acre. Monitor
results over the next month and add more if needed.
Use a good GRANULE SPREADER to get them evenly
distributed over your turf and regular watering
will also help adjust the PH down.
   Once you have accumulated some PH history for
your garden and turf, adjustments will be easy.
Most property owners will learn how much lime
they need to apply, when to make the applications
and where certain "hot spots" exist which need
a little extra material. Most importantly, such
applications will enable the applicator to keep
their soil balanced and healthy for the upcoming
growing season. This leads to healthier and happy
plants as well as help to reduce overall maintenance
and fertilizer costs. PH is clearly the foundation
on which all plant life exists and if you don't
start with a PH that is balanced, trying to grow
plants, flowers or grass can be near to impossible.
Be sure to take an active stance regarding local
PH readings in any soil you use for growing
plant life and you will both enjoy better success
and less frustration with any form of gardening.
   
   
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