Remember those high school chemistry classes? We learned about acids, bases, and PH, elements and the periodic table. Did you ever think you'd need to know those things to take care of your grass? The health of your grass depends greatly on the components in your soil. For all grass types, a soil test should be done at least every two to three years to determine the amounts of lime, phosphorus, and potassium needed by your established lawn. This is called a PH test. Soil PH determines how efficiently your lawn will be able to absorb and use the nutrients it receives. In short, if you want healthy, lush turf, adjusting the PH is vital.
Typically, North Carolina soils are found to be quite acidic because our warm, humid weather causes calcium, potassium, and magnesium to be leached from the soil. That leaves an overabundance of hydrogen and aluminum, two very acidic elements. If your soil is too acidic, it can be toxic to plants. At AA Tex Lawn, we use a product called Solu-cal which is a water-soluble calcium to neutralize the acidity of the soil. It corrects the soil PH better and faster than the lime we used in the past.
There is science behind grass. You don't need to be a chemist to grow grass, but understanding your soil is the first step in getting the lush green turf we'd all love to have. For more info on adding Solu-cal to your turf, please give us a call.
Thanks,
The AA Tex Lawn Team
