Seed, fertilize and sulphur order of operation


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Old 09-16-16, 05:24 PM
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Seed, fertilize and sulphur order of operation

Hello all, It's been a rough summer on my grass and I've had some burn up etc. it did a soil test today and know I need to add some sulphur to my lawn because my ph was 7.5, not the ideal 6.5. We've always had issues with our grass and a neighbor tells me not to bother bc the people who lived here before us resodded and couldn't get it to grow. Our lawn gets a lot of sun. This even I thatched. What is my next plan of attack or my "order of operations?" I need to re/over seed and fertilize. And balance out my ph levels, but which do I do first and when. I know now is a great time to seed in NJ, but should I wait and sulphur the lawn first to work on the acidity or can I do all three at once? Any help would be appreciated bc I'm dedicating this weekend (and beyond) to lawn care.
 
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Old 09-16-16, 06:02 PM
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I would seed now...

IN NJ I doubt you have a high PH cause the soil is acidic here... Lime or calcite is the norm.. ( perhaps the test was wrong?)

I would seed and put down john green winterizer IMO. PH can wait if your not sure...
 
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Old 09-16-16, 06:10 PM
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Sounds good to me. I'll seed and fertilize tomorrow and hold off on the sulfur until the soils retested. Not to sound uninformed, but what's John green winterizer and where can I get it?
 
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Old 09-16-16, 06:24 PM
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Old 09-16-16, 06:28 PM
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but what's John green winterizer and where can I get it?
Ray posted the product. Its an east coast thing. better the the scotts IMO. Use thier 4 step program and seed with tall fescue. In a year or two youll have then best lawn in town IMO.

Get tall fescue kentucky 31 from tractor supply. 39 bucks for 50 lbs... best deal ever
 
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Old 09-17-16, 04:30 AM
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It may just be a "Southern" thing, but I have never been advised to use Sulfur to change the pH of a lawn. I lime in January or February before the growth emerges, which takes care of not only weeds, but helps balance the pH, or "sweetens" the soil. In what form did they recommend using Sulfur?
 
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Old 09-17-16, 04:55 AM
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I would make sure you test was accurate and that you are interpreting it properly. Did you use a DIY test kit or did you submit a sample to your counties Agricultural Extension office?

Sulphur can be used to lower ph (make the soil more acid) but that is rather unusual. It is far more common to need to raise the ph (make soil more base/alkaline) by adding lime.

You said this summer was hard on your lawn. What problems does your lawn have? Your ph level is not extreme and should not cause a problem with growing grass. Most grasses are quite hardy and handle a wide range of soil ph. It's possible you have another problem and ph is not the major issue.
 
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Old 09-17-16, 10:53 AM
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Ok here goes. We live near the beach and our lawn get a lot of sun, also just below the ground it's clay, not helping. Our ph reading was 7.5. I was going to look into a Granulated sulfur to assist in the establishment of a new lawn due to bare spots. Our front lawn also gets a lot of sun all day and burns it up. Additionally, We have a soil testing tool which is reading a high pH number Imo. was recommended to sprinkle eight pounds of granulated sulfur over 1,000 square feet of soil to lower the pH by one whole unit. Thanks for posting the product link. Very helpful and a garden center in town carries it. So maybe I should add lime to the lawn to assist in ensuring an appropriate ph while seeding and fertilizing?
That mag-I-cal produce John green carries looks to be what I need to make sure my soil is in good shape for growing. Thanks for all your insight and responses. My thumb is very far from green, although I enjoy the "battle"
 

Last edited by DannyK; 09-17-16 at 11:11 AM.
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Old 09-17-16, 01:07 PM
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When you say you're "near the beach", does that mean a beach on the Atlantic Ocean ?

I know many people along the eastern seaboard whose lawns are very sparse because of the continuous salt spray. Is there an easy test for the salinity of the soil ?
 
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Old 09-17-16, 06:05 PM
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I'm one town in and essentially on the bay. Can smell it often and maybe salt air is an issue but I wanna win this battle
 
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Old 09-18-16, 04:30 AM
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If your one town in from the shore I doubt salt is the problem. Usually being a mile or so in from the surf gets you far enough away from the salt. Being near the bay probably doesn't matter as much as bays don't have the breakers and whitecaps nearly as often as the open ocean to put salt into the air.

What type of grass do you have?
Do you have irrigation or water your lawn?
Do you have dogs or do your neighbors dogs use your lawn?
 
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Old 09-18-16, 10:42 AM
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I don't currently have any Neighbors; but what I'd do in your situation is take a little tour of my neighborhood and stop and talk to those people who have excellent appearing lawns (which is a personal matter) and speak to them about how they achieved that . . . . they'll be flattered; and you may make a new Friend.

I'd choose homes with the same orientation and approximate distance from the Ocean or Bay . . . . it may be cheating but I'd do what they do. Life is short; we only have 27,000 to 30,000 days to do everything.

a
 
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Old 09-19-16, 07:47 AM
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tall fescue
irrigation system and I water (maybe too much?)
neighbors have dogs, but hopefully not using my lawn...
I like the idea of asking around, thanks all
 
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Old 09-19-16, 10:59 AM
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Can you post a picture of your problem areas? There are some fungal diseases that attack fescue and are promoted peak summer heat and over watering.
 
 

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