If you’ve ever wondered how to maintain your lawn’s pH levels, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions we get here at LawnLove, and it’s not hard to see why.
The pH level of your soil affects everything from the color of your grass to the healthiness of your plants, so having an optimal balance is crucial for keeping your lawn looking its best.
And luckily, there are plenty of things that you can do as a homeowner to keep this balance happy both on a large scale (like taking care of excess fertilizer) and a smaller scale (like picking up fallen leaves). Both will help make sure that your grass stays green all year long!
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Importance of soil pH |
| Effects of low pH on lawns |
| Methods for testing soil pH |
| Tips for adjusting soil pH |
| Different products for adjusting soil pH |
Avoid Fertilizing In The Summer And Fall Seasons
It’s important to avoid fertilizing your lawn during the summer and fall seasons, as this can cause it to grow too quickly.
Fertilizing in these seasons may also cause the lawn to be susceptible to disease or overgrowth.
If you’re a pet owner and want to ensure that your lawn is safe for your furry friend, check out our article on how long should dogs stay off of fertilized grass? Our experts provide useful tips to ensure that your dog stays safe while still having a beautiful lawn.
Water Your Lawn Less In The Morning
Watering in the morning helps prevent water from evaporating, which is important for grass. Also, as temperatures rise throughout the day and into evening, watering at that time can cause scorching and actually damage your grasses.
Watering your lawn in the evening can promote fungus and disease because it’s warm enough for pests to come out of hiding.
Watering Your Lawn Tips
| Time of Day | Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Less evaporation, less water waste, less risk of disease | Can promote fungus growth if lawn stays too wet |
| Midday | None | Water evaporates quickly, leading to higher water bills |
| Evening | Less evaporation, less water waste | Increased risk of lawn disease due to prolonged moisture |
This table provides watering tips for maintaining a healthy lawn, including different times of day for watering and their associated benefits and drawbacks.
Use Only Organic Fertilizers
Just like you shouldn’t use chemicals to adjust your soil pH, you also shouldn’t use chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers can be a great way to increase the health of your lawn without harming the environment.
Organic fertilizer contains nutrients that are helpful for plants and soil, but it’s much better for the environment than synthetic (non-organic) fertilizer because it doesn’t contain additives like herbicides or insecticides.
This means that when you apply organic fertilizer, it won’t harm animals or insects living in your yard or pollute groundwater or surface water systems near where you live.
Weeds and grass can quickly take over your lawn and ruin your landscaping efforts. If you’re struggling to maintain a healthy lawn, check out our article on what kills grass and weeds fast alternatives? Our guide provides a variety of natural and chemical options to get rid of weeds and grass safely and quickly.
Avoid Herbicides And Pesticides
Avoiding pesticides and herbicides is important not only for the environment but for your own health as well. Pesticides can cause allergic reactions in humans, or worse they can kill you. Herbicides are even more dangerous because they can be lethal in high doses.
People and animals who come into contact with them may experience dizziness, nausea and vomiting, eye irritation, and loss of coordination; long-term exposure may also lead to cancer or birth defects like lower sperm counts in men.
So how do you get rid of pests without using pesticides? There are some natural alternatives available at most garden stores:
Mow At A Higher Setting
If you do not have the time or money to invest in aeration and overseeding, there is still a way to help your lawn.
You can mow it at a higher setting to remove more thatch from the soil and encourage more vigorous root growth.
The optimal height for most grasses is 2-3 inches, so adjust your blade accordingly depending on what type of grass you have (taller grasses like Bermuda grow best with shorter blades).
In the summer months, mowing at this height will mean less water absorption for your lawn because there will be less leaf surface area exposed to direct sunlight.
Conversely, during winter when temperatures are low and moisture levels need replenishing more frequently than ever before – such as after rainstorms lowering your mower will result in less stress on both yourself and your equipment while still maintaining healthy roots underfoot!
If you want to fertilize your lawn but don’t want to break the bank, check out our article on how to fertilize my lawn myself? Our guide provides easy-to-follow instructions on how to fertilize your lawn yourself without hiring a professional.
Apply Lime To Balance Ph Levels On Your Lawn
Here’s a way to balance pH levels on your lawn:
Apply lime to your lawn. Lime is a natural fertilizer that can help balance the pH levels in your soil. Simply apply it at the recommended rate for your type of soil, and you’ll be ready to go!
Follow these steps to get started using lime:
Make sure you have all of the materials handy before you begin you’ll need 1 bag or package of lime, a trowel or shovel (to spread), and water (to mix).
You may also want gloves if you’re sensitive to chemicals like sulfuric acid commonly found in limes.
Spread out the bag or package across an 8-foot section of your yard so that it covers about 2 square feet; this will ensure even coverage once mixed with water later on down below ground level where nutrients are absorbed most efficiently by plants and roots alike!
Applying Lime to Balance pH Levels on Your Lawn
| Type of Lime | Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Quicklime | Provides immediate pH adjustment | Cannot be used without protective gear and proper precautions |
| Dolomitic Lime | Contains nutrients like calcium and magnesium, provides long-lasting pH adjustment | May not work as quickly as other types of lime |
| Pelletized Lime | Easy to apply and spread, provides long-lasting pH adjustment | Can be more expensive than other types of lime |
| Hydrated Lime | Can quickly adjust pH levels, improves nutrient absorption | Can be more expensive than other types of lime, can cause chemical burns if not used properly |
This table provides different types of lime that can be used to balance pH levels on your lawn, along with their various benefits and drawbacks.
Aerate Your Soil Occasionally
Aeration is the process of removing small plugs of soil from the ground. It can be done manually by someone walking over your lawn with a tool called a spade (sometimes called a core aerator), or it can be done mechanically, using special equipment to dig small holes in your lawn and pull cores from their depths.
Benefits include improved drainage, reduced compaction, and better root development for grass plants. This makes for healthier turf and better growth!
The best time to aerate is in early spring when temperatures are still cool so you don’t damage new growth as it emerges from winter dormancy.
Aeration should be done once every four years on average; more often if you have heavy foot traffic in high-traffic areas or other extreme conditions such as clay soils or drought conditions that limit water availability for long periods of time
Adding grass to your lawn is a great way to enhance its appearance and increase its functionality. Learn more about how to add grass to your lawn by checking out our article. Our experts provide helpful tips on everything from choosing the right grass type to the best time to seed your lawn.
Clean Up Fallen Leaves From Your Lawn Regularly
If you want your lawn to be healthy, it’s important to keep fallen leaves cleaned up. Leaves are a source of disease and fungus that can cause problems for your grass.
If left alone, these elements will cause damage to your lawn and make it less attractive.
You should try cleaning up leaves at least once a week more often if the weather is windy or rainy.
Avoid Using Fungicides To Keep Your Lawn Healthy
Fungicides are commonly applied to help prevent and treat fungal diseases in turfgrasses, such as brown patches and dollar spots.
But this treatment can also kill beneficial microbes in the soil that break down organic matter from fallen leaves into nutrients for plants, earthworms that help aerate the soil, and insects like ladybugs or praying mantes that eat harmful bugs on your lawn. It’s best to avoid these treatments whenever possible!
Topsoil is an essential component of a healthy lawn, and adding it to an existing lawn can provide several benefits. To learn more, take a look at our article on how to add topsoil to an existing lawn. Our guide provides simple steps to follow to ensure that you add topsoil to your lawn correctly.
Build Up The Quality Of Your Lawn’s Soil With Compost And Fertilizer
Adjusting your lawn’s pH is important, but it’s equally important to remember that the quality of your soil is equally important.
Soil can be enriched with compost (which contains beneficial microorganisms) and fertilizer (which adds nutrients).
These amendments can help improve the health of your lawn by providing more nutrients for plants to absorb and helping them access them better, as well as improving drainage in clay soils.
Keep Up With Grass Trimmings And Clippings On Your Lawn
Keeping your lawn healthy and well-maintained is the first step in raising PH levels. The key to having a healthy lawn is to remove clippings and trimmings regularly and use a mulching mower when you do so.
This will allow the grass to decompose more quickly, reducing the number of nutrients that can be washed away. If you have pets or children playing outside, keeping your yard free of weeds and pests will also encourage grass growth!
Conclusion
We hope that this article has given you enough information on how to adjust your lawn pH. We believe that this is an important topic for many homeowners, so we wanted to help spread the word about it.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know in the comments below!
Further Reading
How to Change Soil pH for Lawn and Garden Success: Learn how to change soil pH levels by adding certain products, such as sulfur or lime, to create optimal lawn and garden conditions.
Understanding What Low pH Can Do to Your Lawn: This article explains how having low pH levels in your lawn can impact its health and appearance, and provides tips for remedying the issue.
Tips for Lowering Lawn pH Levels: If you’re dealing with high pH levels in your lawn, this article provides tips for lowering them using certain products or soils, like peat moss or organic matter.
FAQs
What is soil pH?
Soil pH refers to the level of acid or alkaline in soil. It ranges from 1 to 14, with a pH of 7 considered neutral.
Why is soil pH important?
Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients for plants to absorb. Different plants require different pH levels to thrive.
How can I test my soil pH?
You can test your soil pH at home using a soil testing kit, or you can have it professionally tested.
What can cause soil pH to be too high or low?
Soil pH can be affected by a variety of factors, including the minerals present in the soil, rainfall, irrigation, and the use of certain fertilizers.
How can I adjust my soil pH?
You can adjust your soil pH by adding products like sulfur or lime to lower or raise levels, or by using specific soils or amendments that are pH-balanced.
Hi! My name is Hellen James, and I’m here to help you with your home-maintenance needs. Whether it’s building a better yard or just trying to fix a garden—I can show you how.
