Use Taylor ph test to test soil ph?

[Mdragger88]

Anybody here ever use their Taylor kit to test the ph of your soil? I hate to buy something else if i don’t really need to. If this is possible plz gimme the details.

 

[phonedave]

Anybody here ever use their Taylor kit to test the ph of your soil? I hate to buy something else if i don’t really need to. If this is possible plz gimme the details.

I don't see why not.

Take your soil, mix it with distilled water, measure the pH.

I never thought to do so. I may have found an other use for my pH meter now.

 

[Mdragger88]

I saw some reference to that extent but no actual instructions. I feel I would need a bigger vessel than my comparator block & I am unsure of the amount of drops to use with other amounts of water.
Just trying to form a plan for my lawn with actual data. Vs the dump & pray method my hubby has been using with fertilizer, lime etc.
You know, test & see what the yard actually needs then make that happen. Sound familiar
I smell a YardMath App brewing…
Like With actual chem names instead of brand names
Who’s with me ???

 

[Flying Tivo]

I might be wrong but soil ph is outside range of pool ph, like 5-7.

 

[Mdragger88]

I might be wrong but soil ph is outside range of pool ph, like 5-7.

From what I understand I want mine to be between 5.8 & 7.0-
So basically anything over 7 - add lime.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Soil pH can be anywhere from 4/5 all the way up 9. If you’re growing hydrangeas or blueberries you need acidic soil while native desert plants don’t care of the pH is above 8. The Taylor reagents are not going to span a large enough range. Better to get a pH probe to test soil with.

As others have said, simply mix up a clump of soil with distilled water, give it a stir and let all the solids settle (give it an hour or so). Then dip the pH meter into the liquid and read. Rinse the probe off and store it.

Around here, our clay soil is incredibly “sweet”, pH is way over 8.0 and the calcium, magnesium and carbonate levels are off the chart. The soil is so bad here that non-native plants turn yellow from chlorosis because iron is all but immobile in these soils. EDDHA-Fe chelate is the only way to get soluble iron into the soil for plant use. Most other iron sources will get bound up by the high pH and clay.

 

[Mdragger88]

I just want my grass to grow all non patchy
I figured i would try it 1st & if it’s off the charts one way or another I would investigate another method.
We have a local extension office but I haven’t ventured there yet to get other nutrient/ mineral measurements.

 

[jseyfert3]

I’ve been meaning to use my Apera PH60 with the distilled water and soil test, but haven’t gotten around to doing so yet.

 

[Lake Placid]

I just want my grass to grow all non patchy
I figured i would try it 1st & if it’s off the charts one way or another I would investigate another method.
We have a local extension office but I haven’t ventured there yet to get other nutrient/ mineral measurements.

Generally for best turfgrass growth you’re looking for slightly acidic to neutral (ph 6-7). In reality your mowing height, fertility input, water input, and removal of thatch layer/compaction will have the biggest effect on turfgrass performance. Addressing weed pressure and addressing disease pressure will play in later on as well as annual over seeding and aerification schedule.

What type of turfgrass are you growing? What’s your mowing height, watering frequency and current fertility application schedule (NPK analysis?). Do you see clover? Other weeds or mushrooms? Tree growth on the property?

 

[mgtfp]

Are you testing for Borates with the drop test that uses a few extra reagents added to standard Taylor reagents?

Then you could use the BTB pH-Indicator you might have bought for that to at least extend your range down to pH 6:



Our local hardware store sells BTB in the pond-section.

And the Taylor TA-indicator starts changing colour around pH 5 ("Mix" in below picture):

 

[Newdude]

Please figure this hack out. With an acre I often pass on lime/fertilizer because it's a $300 crud shoot if the front needs to go up and the back needs to go down. And 3 times a season ????? Pfffffft. The crab grass is as green as can be.

 

[phonedave]

You can usually get your soil tested at your local college cooperative extension for cheap or free. It also will tell you other mineral concentrations in your soil, which is important.

I have been using Sunday.com for a few months now, and so far I am happy with it. It may not be applicable to large yards, but for my 1/2 acre is works well.

 

[Katodude]

I need to do this, but I am pretty sure my pH is sky high.

I add citric acid every time I apply fertilizer.

 

[Mdragger88]

Generally for best turfgrass growth you’re looking for slightly acidic to neutral (ph 6-7). In reality your mowing height, fertility input, water input, and removal of thatch layer/compaction will have the biggest effect on turfgrass performance. Addressing weed pressure and addressing disease pressure will play in later on as well as annual over seeding and aerification schedule.

What type of turfgrass are you growing? What’s your mowing height, watering frequency and current fertility application schedule (NPK analysis?). Do you see clover? Other weeds or mushrooms? Tree growth on the property?

Bermuda, its a mix of common & hybrid.
Most of it gets mowed with a 6’ finish mower & a tractor. I have 5 acres.
Right up by the house/pool (about 1 acre) we use a push mower & usually bag it so not so much grass gets tracked in the house/pool. Mowing occurs once a week so we keep it set pretty high as to not damage the grass. We have alot of grass so we have to wait on water from the sky. We had quite a period of 100+ temps & no rain which is on the down swing now.
I am most concerned with the condition of this grass near the house & will only be fertilizing & possibly using lime on this portion as we have some bare spots & its the part of the yard we use the most. I cannot afford to do it to 3-4 acres.
We do spray most of the yard that’s not directly under trees with pre & post emergent (about 3 acres). I have recently been spot spraying for Nutsedge as it was left unscathed by the last post emergent application & has overtaken my hosta bed too! so I will be lightly fertilizing before the next rain. I was mostly concerned with if i needed lime or not thus the testing of the ph. My plan is to over seed the bare spots if necessary in enough time before our fall pre emergent application. I suspected a fungal problem so I have been treating for that with a low dose due to the heat. If I don’t see improvement in the grass after all my efforts of fungicide, fertilizing etc.
I will over seed in a few places knowing that I have provided decent conditions.
Here’s a pic for reference

 

[Katodude]

Excuse me, but this is a pool forum. I will now refer you to TLF. The TFP of lawns.

Lawn Care Forum

A forum community dedicated to lawn care, landscaping do it yourselfers, and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion to learn about industry equipment, tools, lawn care, lawn maintenance, classifieds, troubleshooting, and more!

thelawnforum.com

 

[Mdragger88]

Excuse me, but this is a pool forum. I will now refer you to TLF. The TFP of lawns.

Lawn Care Forum

A forum community dedicated to lawn care, landscaping do it yourselfers, and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion to learn about industry equipment, tools, lawn care, lawn maintenance, classifieds, troubleshooting, and more!

thelawnforum.com

I have dipped my toes in there but not quite ready to go full lawn ninja yet. Btw, I searched my question on there but didn’t find an answer.
Ironically I did stumble upon this post leading someone to tfp

Swimming Pools

With temperatures rising I'm curious as to who else has a pool. What are you doing to keep it balanced? How often do you test your water? How often do you use it?

thelawnforum.com

Here’s a quote from that post
“Trouble free pool all the way
Just like tlf but for pools.”

 

[Katodude]

Ideally start with a soil test.

Trying to reduce your soil pH is probably a losing proposition. You can do it for short periods of time. I try to do it while fertilizing so that the grass will absorb the fertilizer better. Then I leave it alone.

 

[Katodude]

You mention that you have hybrid and common bermuda. Be careful about over seeding. Getting mismatched bermuda can look really bad.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Lovely, beautiful, ROCKS! The yard is easy peasy here, all rocks. Only fools grow grass in a desert … or people that like to send their money to the water utilities for safe keeping…

Neighbor did the typical 600 sq ft patch of grass just past his back deck. After 18 months of struggling to keep it green (it was always a sickly yellow-green color) and free of weeds AND paying more for irrigation water than I do for my house and pool combined, he now has a lovely 600 sq ft sandbox for his kids and dog to play in

 

[rstrouse]

Elemental sulfur will drop your soil pH long term. However, it takes a long time (potentially multiple seasons) to do this. The reason is because it is a bacterial change not a chemical one. Bacteria in the soil will convert the sulfur to sulfuric acid over time. Short term fixes like aluminum sulfate or acids don't last very long and are readily buffered with the elemental components of the soil. I have blueberries thriving in soil that started out at 8.1 that now has a steady pH of 5.2 but they struggled until I got the pH under control using surface applications of elemental sulfur.

You should test your soil first to determine its components because sandy soils will readily change their pH whereas clay soils tend to be a bigger challenge. For me I have clay loam which while not impossible to condition is on the harder scale. High pH soils will bind up the iron and trace nutrients in your soil. The most common symptom of high pH in lawns will be yellowing and necrosis.

Btw I have been through a few pH probes and my favorite so far has been the Blue Lab Soil pen. I use a short piece of rebar as a probe hole maker and push the probe into the hole. A few seconds later, I have a pH reading. And for those of you using distilled water on your probes don't do that whether it is your pH probe for your pool or one for your soil. It will draw ions out of the reference electrolyte through the glass in the probe. Rinse them with tap water and store them in KCl solution or I suppose you can just complain about their accuracy and reliability. This little tidbit is from a guy who had to learn the hard way... more than once.