Do you know why pH Matters? Here at ProLawn, we take a bottom up approach to lawn care.  What does that mean?  We focus on building up your soil quality in order to improve the health of your turf. Think of it as a lifestyle change for your lawn versus a crash diet approach used by many other lawn care providers.  Let us explain.

Think of your lawn like an iceberg.  You focus on what you see above the surface, but there’s a whole lot going on below the surface – really important activity that directly impacts your lawn.

One of the most important elements of your soil is the pH.  Weeds like dandelions, plantain and chickweed thrive in acidic soils.  It just so happens our soil here in Northern Virginia runs on the acidic side of the pH scale.  So testing your soil’s pH and taking the necessary steps to get it in the “sweet spot” of 6.5 is key.  For more on pH, read our blog Why Soil pH Matters? 

Another reason getting your soil’s pH right is making nutrients readily available to your turf grass.  Nutrient bioavailability is minimized when the soil is either too acidic or too alkaline.  When you fertilize under these conditions, you are literally throwing your money away – 30 to 50% or more depending on your soil pH – as the nutrients can’t be accessed.  Adding more fertilizer when you don’t get the results you were hoping for doesn’t change the results.  In fact, it can lead to turf burn if too much fertilizer is applied.

In the short run, applying herbicides to get rid of weeds is effective.  And it’s necessary to suppress and control weeds year in and year out.  The difference is, the more you build up your soil, the healthier your turf becomes.  Weeds no longer thrive.  Less weeds means less need for herbicides.  When you do put down nutrients, they’re readily available, making your lawn even stronger, which in turn means weeds have an even harder time thriving….you get the picture.

We focus first and foremost on getting your soil pH right through ProLawn’s Corrective Lime Program, tailored to each client’s individual needs.  We continue to build up soils using organic products such as humic acid, worm casting extract and other micronutrients, all supporting our commitment to environmentally sound practices.  Just like a diet and work out regiment, it’s an ongoing process, not a quick fix.  It’s an approach we’ve been using since 1981 because it’s good for the health of the lawns we serve as well as for the environment in which we live.  It’s what we call a win-win. 

Just witness the evidence from the BEFORE and AFTER pictures below shared by one of our many satisfied ProLawn clients.   Then give the Pros at ProLawn a call at 540-662-8316 to learn more about our environmentally sound approach to lawn care!