Want A Healthier Lawn? Here's A Simple Way to Improve Your Soil pH

Your soil's pH plays a big role in terms of your soil's fertility. Optimizing the pH of your lawn means that more of the nutrients found in your soil are readily available for your grass roots to take up. If your soil has a high pH, then you should consider using sulfur and citric acid to help acidify your soil
If your soil is alkaline (7.1 and above), then some of it's mineral nutrients are bound up in the soil. If your soil is too acidic, then the opposite is true as your soil is potentially releasing too many of minerals. This means that a low pH soil may be toxic.
In my part of Texas, I have a very alkaline soil with a pH of 7.9. To lower my soil's pH, I use elemental sulfur and citric acid to help acidify my soil.
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Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Topic of the Day
1:26 - Lawn Update from Scarify Video
3:27 - Why Work To Lower My Soil's pH?
5:13 - The pH Scale Is Logarithmic!!
5:48 - Sulfur To Acidify Soil
6:33 - Sulfur Application Rates
7:49 - Spreader Application Footage
9:01- Citric Acid To Acidify Soil
9:59 - Citric Acid Spray Application Footage
10:21 - Is Lowering Soil pH Worth Doing?
11:36 - 2 Schools of Thought: Yes & No
12:54 - Where Do I Stand?
13:47 - Wrap Up

[@JesseTheBody1]

Threw me for a loop when you went all Barry White on that voiceover section. Smooth as silk. Really good video with great info for people looking to adjust pH.

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Dude!!! 🤣 You're the second person to make the exact same reference. 🎤 It's not intentional at all. That's what I get for recording VO's when I'm falling asleep at the mic.

[@westernmassturf8856]

I liked the spreader etiquette! 👍

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thanks, man. It was very off the cuff. Wasn't planned. I almost cut it out, but then thought someone may need to hear that.

[@brent6924]

@@thelawnrenaissance agreed 👍 nice!

[@PrincessCutLawnCare]

Really enjoy your videos man 👍

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thank you so much, man. I really need to figure out my white balance.

[@PrincessCutLawnCare]

@@thelawnrenaissance haha white balance is always a pain! I just put mine in auto and if it’s off in post, I shift the temperature to either cool or warm and that usually gets it to good enough quality

[@tpack670]

I`ve been going down the PH rabbit hole for the past 2 years. It was 7.8 last spring and I`ll test again in early 2024. I`ve put down 5 lbs. per 1000, 5 times since last spring and now I can`t find any Elemental Sulphur anywhere for my last application. My lawn has responded really nice to the ammonium sulphate fertilizer @ .5 lbs. of N per 1000 per month. My phosphorous was a little low and I`ve been using a fertilizer in the spring to correct it. Chasing the PH # could go on forever, but I`m calling it quits after this year. My lawn looks great most of the time. It`s these terribly hot Texas summers that takes a toll on our lawns as much as anything. Appreciate you taking to time to do your videos.👍

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thank you so much for watching. I really appreciate it. And yes, I agree that it was way easier to find bags of Sulfur. Seems the big box stores aren't carrying it anymore. The most popular "brand" of Sulfur out there that the pro's use is Tiger90, but it's twice the price of the Martin stuff I've always used. Supposed to break down super fast. Maybe look into that. But I hear you about maybe throwing in the towel. As I said in the video, I sometimes contemplate my pursuit of a lower pH.

[@michaelceli5748]

Yet another informative vid. Thanks Jay 👍

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Celi!!! Thanks so much for watching. Just trying to inform...not sell. 🤣

[@brent6924]

I enjoyed this video! Thank you Jay!

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thank you so much for giving it a watch. I really really appreciate it.

[@TravSmitty]

Thanks for these videos. I enjoy the information included.

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Man, yours was the first comment I read. Thanks. Made me sigh in relief. It takes me so much time to edit these things that I start to wonder if they're worth the effort. Ha ha

[@grayfox9911]

Another good one bud!!

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Gray Fox!! 🐺 Thanks, man. Just trying to disseminate all the good stuff I've learned. I'm just happy at least a few people watch.

[@EaveeDoesIt]

great video! I love that you include/explain both sides if it is necessary or not and why you are doing it anyway. I think that's true for a lot of lawncare enthusiasts, and also why some get sucked down the sea kelp/humic train as well!

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thanks, Eavee. Yep, I don't think we ask ourselves "why" or "should I" enough.

[@ThatNeighborsLawn]

I am trying to push my soil more alkaline and man I've used a ton of lime over the past year 😅. It definitely makes a massive difference. Oh and I'm addicted to spraying. I spoon feed at least once a week. 😬 love your vids man.

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Oh, man, yep I know there are folks woth the opposite problem I have. From what I'm told, it's easier/quicker to raise pH. Wish acidifying worked quicker. And thanks so much for watching. Always great to hear someone out there likes the videos.

[@adampolinski6912]

Curiosity! Thanks for sharing all the information

[@Bad-Daze247]

I'm so glade you did this video because I've been wondering how and if I can do it in this texas heat without burning my lawn. Live your videos and I really love the grass factor!!!😊

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching. With our temps, we usually good to keep applying Sulfur into mid-October. No need to apply in the cooler weather since microbial activity slows down amd the sulfur doesn't break down. You can do it. 👍🏻

[@Bad-Daze247]

Thank you so much. One of my favorite KZbin resource.

[@fairwaybermudalawn]

Great content I really enjoyed it Thanks for sharing ✌🏾

[@thelawnrenaissance]

You're very welcome. Just trying tonshare information. I appreciate you stopping by.

[@fairwaybermudalawn]

@@thelawnrenaissance I've been watching your channel and you have great info sir I've subscribed 👍🏾

[@thelawnrenaissance]

@fairwaybermudalawn I really really appreciate it. Hope something in the videos helps.

[@harperexplores9349]

If you are wanting to see a dark green iron pop or that beautiful blue green from ammonia Sulphate then ph below 7 is worth the time

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Funny you mention greening up a lawn. Another discussion I had with the good doctor I mention in this video was about color tolerances of the different cultivars. I'm still struggling with getting a accurate color in my videos, but I can't possibly get my Tifway 419 greener. It's met its biological threshold. If I had Celebration Bermuda I'd be chasing the blue hue myself. Honestly, I'm more curious about growing my lawn in a better pH just to see if I can actually see a healthier stand as well as maybe having better response from my annual and perennial flowering plants. I want to see how it performs at season start up and how it affects water requirements. Thanks so much for watching. 🙏🏻 I appreciate it.

[@strickstrick2005]

Love the videos, being down the road in North Austin its relatable and makes me believei can do this too. What I want to know is what type of Bermuda do you have? Where can I get it?

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thanks so kuch for watching! And yes, you can absolutely do this. Just remember, it's a slow process, but very do-able. I have an old Bermuda cultivar known as Tifway 419. It is also very easy to find locally, too. Just Google the sod sellers in Austin and call to see what cultivars they have. Honestly, if I was to change to a different Bermudagrass, I'd probably try Celebration or Tifgrand. The first one is super easy to find. Just read up on the different Bermuda cultivars and make an educated choice from there. Thanks, again.

[@geoffkopecky3652]

Thanks for a great video showing how you do it. How do I apply elemental sulfur in powder form? I bought it by mistake. Can I mix with water and spray? other options. ?

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Hey, Geoff. Thanks for watching. I appreciate it. Good question. I actually had a section in this video where I talked about sulfur powder. First thing: Sulfur won't go into suspension in water. So while you could mix it in water, you have to keep agitating the mix so that the sulfur doesn't settle. Secondly, because it doesn't disssolve in water, you can only mix in so much Sulfur because it clogs spray tips. So yes, you can spray it. Just keep shaking the tank your spraying from as you spray the lawn. The specific Sulfur I was told to use if I wanted to go this route is micronized Sulfur. Hope this helps.

[@randyvelarde7448]

Good stuff! I’m in west Texas and my soil is 7.9. Is ammonium sulfate beneficial or totally different than ur elemental sulfur?

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Thanks, again, Randy. While AMS and Sulfur have similarities in that they acidify, they are used for different reasons. Obviously, the AMS chemical reaction results in a form of Nitrogen for plants, and that same chemical reaction results in some acidification. 👍🏻 It isn't a huge amount of acidifying, but every little bit helps, right? Keep using AMS as a nitrogen source. Sulfur is considered a macronutrient along with NPK...it's actually NPKS. But we can use it to create sulfuric acid to help break down carbonates.

[@roar6428]

Do you immediately water the lawn after the citric acid application or can it wait until the next day or two?

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Hey @roar. In short, yes. It's best to water in as soon as reasonably possible after application. Doesn't need to be super immediate, but it citric acid can cause tip burn. It also depends on how heavy-handed you were. If it wasn't much, then you can probably wait a bit longer. But I'd definitely recommend watering the same.day you apply. Thanks so much for watching.

[@Kathy0118]

Hi, are you interested in testing and making a video of our smart sprinkler controller?

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Who are you with, Kathy?

[@Kathy0118]

@@thelawnrenaissance Hi, our brand is ImoLaza, specializing in the production and sale of smart sprinkler controllers primarily aimed at residential lawns and garden irrigation. Currently, we are a new brand. Because we find that your video content aligns well with our needs, we would like to invite you to try out our controller and create a video for us.

[@jayb7675]

Your water sprinkler Ph is high. Every time you water you’re raising the pH. Unless you lower your sprinkler pH, you will not make a significant difference.

[@thelawnrenaissance]

Yes, I've talked about high municipal water pH in other videos.