pH Testing: Vital for Your Spring Start Ups

Lawns are the main ingredient of a home’s outdoor flavor. Under the sun, vibrant shades of green and soft-to-the-touch blades of grass sway around Charlotte homes every summer. To ensure your lawn reaches this level of aesthetic comfort, it’s vital that you complete a pH test prior to the installation of this season’s spring start up irrigation system.

Testing the soil determines whether your lawn can obtain proper levels of nutrients for optimal growth or not. For example, before we design an irrigation system for a client, this test is completed to determine what seed system to use, how much watering will be required, if spreading any lime is necessary, and the potential for fertilizer and/or herbicide consumption.

What pH Levels Mean

The scale of pH ranges from 1 to 14. A measurement of 7 is neutral, meaning the soil is stable and ready for seeding. Final readings any higher or lower than 7 denote excessive levels of alkaline or acidity. They are the foremost adversaries of exceptional grass growth more commonly referred to as “sweet” or “sour.” Presence of either and your lawn's output will suffer.

 “Too much of either and the lawn’s yield will be poor,” says John Minor of Irrigation & Lighting Specialist. “Depending on the test’s outcome, lime may also need to be applied in small, medium or large amounts.”

Benefits of pH Testing

Below are the main advantages of pH testing your lawn:

·      Identify and resolve soil problems prior to seeding your lawn

·      Supervise nutrient levels

·      Select the correct type of grass for your lawn

·      Figure out what key compounds are missing from your soil

Most home improvement stores sell test kits. They will guide you through the evaluation, and after a few steps provide you with an immediate analysis of your soil’s pH.

How to Test Your Lawn's pH Levels

Once you’ve obtained a test kit, here is how to conduct a pH test:

1. Dig a 2-4 inch hole
2. Fill hole with water
3. Insert test kit’s probe into mud mixture
4. Allow prove to read mud sample (60 seconds)
5. Sample multiple areas of the lawn

After these few easy steps are complete you can leave the rest of your spring start up needs to us. With the yard tested prior to our arrival, we will better be able to access your lawn. Since we take our irrigation system designs on a case-by-case basis, we want to be able to custom fit your lawn with a watering network that work best for the type of soil you have.  

“Think of pH testing as a yearly physical for your yard,” explains Minor. “Before the expectation of performance growth, you must determine if your yard is up for the challenge first.”

Doing so avoids an unnecessary hole in your wallet and avoids a headache later on in the spring and summer season.

If you would like to learn more about pH testing and its importance in the spring start up process, please call John Minor at 877-433-5833 or email John. What a relaxing pleasure it is knowing ahead of time that your lawn is going to produce this spring. We are here to provide you with that reassurance, and look forward to setting up your lawn for  success!