Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozzello
I have found the avg. pH in this area to be 7.2. (after 1000s of pH tests)
A bit alkaline for Zoysia (and most everything else you are growing) causing the grass/plants/trees to have difficulty with uptake of iron and other micro-nutrients.
I have had this discussion with the owners and managers of several of the larger lawn spray companies, and they either glaze over and change the subject, or give a song and dance about the experts back at the main office.
Example: The Florida DOT requires.. yes REQUIRES a target soil pH prior to even laying sod.
Yes, us old school native Floridians know how to grow grass here, have done so for over a century, and we don't have to spread poisons and fertilizer every 3 months to do it . Most of you have hired companies that are good at getting customers while overlooking the MOST IMPORTANT THING next to water.... soil acidity.
Save yourself a LOT of money...do a spot test... Spread a 1/2 pound of coffee in a 10x10 area of your lawn, note results within 4 weeks... you can thank me later.
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RE: PH TEST
Our soil is loaded with LIME. You will see people selling those white boulders by the side of the road etc-they are blocks of lime stone. Remember those toys that we used to send away for from cereal boxes? The ones where you would put baking soda into the and add vinegar (acidic acid) and they would go around your bathtub. Take a scoop of your lawn,"soil," add some vinegar and you can watch it fizz from all the limestone.
RE: PROPER PH BEFORE LAYING SOD
I've never heard that before. I expect you could apply dilute acid to the,"soil," and get it to read anything you wish. Due to the limestone, it would quickly go back to being alkaline. The answer is to add organic matter. I asked the builder to do so and as you said they looked with glazed eyes. Are you sure that test is not for drainage which is normally required.
WHAT WE DID-We have a 5,000 sq foot lawn. IT IS NUTS AND A LOT OF WORK. I took an 1.5 inch old auger bit, put it one a 2 foot extension and drilled holes 7 inch deep every 6 inches in my lawn using a rechargeable drill. The 7 inch is important as your lawn has stuff like the pipes for inground sprinklers and wires for cable TV and they are down eight inches. My drill has lithium ion batteries so it is more reasonable in weight and run time. I have three sets of batteries and the recharge time is one hour. I truned the clutch so that it would click, slip, it it hit anythng. It took me TWO YEARS as wife has the good sense not to work when it is too hot etc. I lost count of the bags but a best guess is 70 50lb bags. My lawn is GREAT. I've watered TWICE, total, this year.
You can actually grow grass in half an inch of soil on top of CEMENT. To do it you will need to water every day, fertilize every week or two. HUM take a shovel and stab it into your lawn. The roots should go down at least 6-8 inches. You will clearly see the soil that came with the sod-about and inch thick. If, you need to water every day and your grass says I am not rooting into that cement, you know you have a soil issue.
I think someone mentioned coffee grinds. I added ????? coffee grinds to the manure. The earthworms love coffee and they aerate and turn the soil. Only trouble is they insist upon stopping for a coffee break-HAD TO SEE IF YOU WERE STILL READING MY LONG POST.