Lower Soil PH with Powdered Sulfur

[@JLavoe111]

Holy shit Brad, this is playing with fire IMO. Couple notes here: 1) As you mentioned, sulfur needs to be kept in suspension to allow for consistent output.. jet agitation would do the trick but obviously a Typhoon doesn't have that. I would only put out 1lb/M of sulfur at a time.. keeping it in suspension is key so doing a "shimmy" while spraying may let you get away with it. Remember, sulfur is very caustic on foliage, especially when it's sprayed. 2) In my experiences with citric acid and wetting agents, it's best to apply a wetting agent a few days before citric acid.. or at least get it watered in well first. Mixing them both increases the risk of burning foliage. Having your surfactant watered in will allow your citric acid to penetrate and help solubilize your excess Ca and Mg. 3) I would fill up to 4gal every time I applied citric or sulfur.. higher carrier is your friend with both of these. 4) In general, mixing all three products like this seems like bad idea. The recommended 1" of water after citric would be absolutely necessary following a tank mix like you did here. Hope it works out for ya, all love here. It's smooth sailing once you have your program dialed in.

[@TheLawnSauce]

Hey Aldo, gracias for your comment. Yes still dialing it in. You are 100% correct about increasing the carrier volume. I struggled pushing slumps of settled sulfur through the typhoon. My old ass cant shake as fast as I once could in my prime LOL.. I can also see why putting out only 1lb/M of sulfur at a time would be better. For "soil directed" applications such as CA and sulfur, I subscribe to hose is king in getting the product to where it needs to go although, having a higher carrier volume will also help to push it down prior to using the water hose or in-ground sprinklers. Some unspoken considerations that are in play here is the time of day I made my application, size of the lawn, and duration before watering it in. I appreciate the point you made about the surfactant going down prior to CA and I see your point that mixing the wetting agent with the CA could be dangerous as it will increase the intake of CA through the foliar tissue - potentially causing burn. Hopefully the combined hose-in blast and irrigation cycle was enough to mitigate that. I'll be monitoring for tip burn in the upcoming days. Thanks again for the sound advice!

[@JLavoe111]

Blasting that down with water was 100% the right move. I like apply citric acid in the early mornings before the sun is out.. and still hose it down after. Anything to reduce the risk of damage during the time it takes between applying and watering in.

[@DanTheLawnMan]

Well I’m not as scientific and Aldo here but I can see where’s he’s going with this. Thank you for making a video on PH that’s the hidden trick sometimes people don’t understand when it comes to adding stuff in your lawn. To high or to low ph affects a lot of other stuff.

[@petedetraglia4776]

Best time to put down Sulfur granular or powder is in the summer time with warmer temperatures as the micro biology in your lawn is at it most active point. Water it off the blades of grass until you get about 1inch of water penetration in the topsoil. You can also put down a biostimulator/chelator like humic acid, organic fertilizer, or even molasses to super charge the micro biology even higher...Me personal I wouldn't do more than a pound per thousand but I have seen KZbinrs drop 5lb per thousand if you can keep your watering consistent for a few days...

[@TheLawnSauce]

Hey GrassThief, Aldo is aware that you are trying to connect with him. He's trying to reach out to you.

[@papamowslow196]

Nice information Brad. And thanks Aldo for the additional information.

[@JC-mx1mk]

I love that nozzle tip you are using, what kind is it and where can I purchase it? I am getting ready to do the same to my lawn. Thank you for the info!!

[@robertjohnson4401]

I would also apply the granular. The powdered will percolate quickly through the soil to the water table below. The granular is time released. But the powdered is a great way to get the process going quickly.

[@TheLawnSauce]

Thanks for sharing your insights on the granular and powdered options, it's always helpful to consider different approaches.

[@kalebtaylor2504]

This video was very helpful! I did granular sulfur last year but I’m definitely going for the powder this time!

[@TheLawnSauce]

If you go powder, use a sulfur df formulation. The Hi-Yeild one shown in my video is like that. When I go to do my next app, I'm not going to add anything else to the mix like I did in this video. I would recommend going with about 1lb of Sulfur DF per 4 Gallons of water and you'll need to continuously agitate the tank so the sulfur doesn't fall out of suspension causing clogs in your sprayer. Do 1lb S /1000sqft every month during the growing season.

[@rafaelbeltran7884]

Thank you. God bless you!

[@anniederksen9374]

Where do you buy it

[@knigtridr]

What sprayer tip are you using here? Man that thing sprays.

[@luismoran9425]

I want one!!!😊

[@robertjohnson4401]

Yes. Please provide information where we can get it.

[@RH-zc5dq]

is 1 kg of sulfur per 10 sqm a fair amount to apply to soil? and should i divide this into 4 applications thus, 250 g every 3 months? and what if the ph level drop wasnt enough and you need to add more? whats the limit? as i heard that excess sulfur is toxic to plants..please advise..thanks

[@bgotsha]

Great lesson❤

[@paulvolcker8956]

Hey brad - the pinned post makes some great points, but you never said how this specific treatment that you did went. What were your results? Did it burn the grass?

[@TheLawnSauce]

Thanks for the questions. It went well. It was a spicy application but it didn’t burn the turf. My saving grace was using the water hose to wash it all down and off the grass blades. Its always best to apply the wetting agent in a separate application a couple days prior. As far as results. I soil tested 6 months after the application and my pH went down 0.1. I’d say it’s a win. I’m playing the long game when it comes to lowering the pH.

[@paulvolcker8956]

@@TheLawnSauce Glad it didn't burn. My understanding about the lowered pH is that citric acid is temporary (lasts ~1 month) while the effect of sulfur on pH lasts longer.

[@tweetiebird]

Great video, great information!

[@bellabowen3247]

Hello!! Thankyou for this video.. Question, how do you get your lawn so even and level looking? Help! ❤

[@TheLawnSauce]

Thank you for watching my video and for reaching out to me. The best thing you can do to improve your lawn is to stay on top of the cultural practices you do to it. Mowing being one of the foremost. Mow 3 times a week if you can, or twice if possible. Given your lawn is getting adequate hydration, mowing will help to improve the thickness of your lawn which lends toward an even height of cut.

[@bellabowen3247]

@@TheLawnSauce Mmm, im just starting out with new grass ass the whole yard was weeds, spent to 2 days just pulling weeds! 😵‍💫 Not the way i want to spend my time

[@robertjohnson4401]

Wow. Are you a chemist? The backpack liquid spreader, could you provide a link or give identifying details for it. I want to get it. I am impressed by its flow rate and pressure.

[@TheLawnSauce]

Haha, I may not be a chemist, but I sure know how to spread liquid like a pro with that backpack sprayer! Google "flowzone typhoon 3"

[@robertjohnson4401]

@@TheLawnSauce Thanks for letting me know the make and model of the sprayer. I ordered one and it is on its way.

[@thefpvlife7785]

I apply the granular sulfur when I plug aerate.

[@TheLawnSauce]

Ah, the secret sulfur-aeration combo! Seriously, that's a great combo.

[@grassthief1280]

Hello Brad just stumbled across vid, wanted to know how did you make out with this way of lowering your PH , any updated vids any tips if you learned from this way interested in learning & finding out

[@TheLawnSauce]

Hi there. I spoke to a few close subject matter experts and there were definitely some things I could have done better. One thing is not mix in the wetting agent in the mix. Sulfer with ammonium sulfate is fine. When I added the wetting agent it it did two things. The wetting agent could have caused the ammonium sulfate to burn the lawn, and two, the wetting agent caused foaming in the tank which led me to add an anti-foaming agent which caused the powdered sulfer to fall out of suspension in the tank leading to clogging. Also, for the next go around, I would mix approx 1-2 lbs of sulfur with 4gallons of water. This will help to keep sulfur in suspension and to help it get down into the soil. Doing so also means that I would need to split my 5lbs of sulfur into two applications. As for the making an updated video, that will definitely happen. I will be taking another soil test in the spring to see how the sulfur did in lowering the ph. I can tell you this, the granular sulfur is still 20% whole. I can still see it in my planter where I dumped it out and it still hasn’t fully broken down yet. Thanks for the interest in this this video. Keep your eye out in the spring for an update to this video.

[@TheLawnSauce]

Hey @Grassthief are you familiar with discord? We chat grass all the time there. Come check it out. You can connect with @aldo there. Follow this link: discord.com/channels/436153641540255754/436153641540255756

[@grassthief1280]

Yes thanks Brad , I now understand how to apply thanks for your vid,& response 👍Brad wondering , your thought on one Mix with /AMS-Sulfur+Citric Acid /and the Wetting Agent the day before ? I have good Rain coming next week , 14:10 think I will check with grass factor tomorrow night but your Thoughts on that Approach?

[@lauranonamaker2610]

Excellent!

[@stevebrown3408]

Will leaving the sulfur on the grass hurt it ? No way to water it in .

[@TheLawnSauce]

sulfur on the grass is fairly caustic. In your situation, a granular product would be better unless you spray the powered sulfur right before a rain event.

[@kvitoroulis]

Thanks. Granular is meant to be mixed in the earth.

[@tweetiebird]

Your correct, granular is for extended time release not immediate reaction.

[@nestorsojo9528]

A year plus later, any updates?

[@TheLawnSauce]

Hi Nestor. Thanks for asking. It looks like I lowered my soil pH by 0.1. It was 7.6 at the start of 2022. At the start of 2023, it was 7.5. Please note I only did this one application of sulfur for the year. I wish I did more applications. The question now becomes will my ph hold at 7.5 at the start of 2024. Stay tuned!

[@TheLawnSauce]

@@SnapnStripe Thanks for asking. I didn’t soil test this year. I don’t think 5lbs of sulfur / 1000sqft would move the needle much. If any maybe .1. I’ll remember to reply back the next time I soil test.

[@luismoran9425]

By the way what happened to the helper, maybe she don't like to work over time😂😂 I'm using powder sulfur next time

[@SuperbBleu]

Mahalo

[@Chimonya]

Switch to elemental sulfur in granule / pellet forms. Don't do powdered. You can apply 5 lbs per 1000 sq ft twice per year with the granule forms.

[@RH-zc5dq]

is citric acid necessary? if so, when do you apply it to soil after spreading elemental sulfur? same time? or next day? and what about adding ammonium sulfate?.plz advise..thanks

[@michaelh.9243]

I agree. Pellet takes longer to break down, but where I live we typically get rain weekly throughout the summer months. The powder although it soaks deeper, it also gets washed away quicker. Pellets tend to stay put and break down slowly as microbes do their thing. Takes longer to reduce the pH (ie, seasons). Lowering soil pH is a marathon, not a sprint. Still a good video and enjoyed it very much.