A: Argentine bahiagrass is a beautiful grass for home lawns and would be a good choice providing your soil pH is acidic enough. I have found most of the soil in our area is quite the opposite – most soils are alkaline.

After testing your soil, it became obvious you should consider another grass as the soil pH measured at 7.45. Bahiagrass ideally would like the soil pH to be 5.5 so your soil is almost 100 times more alkaline than bahiagrass would prefer. This gives the grass a very poor starting point in addition to providing a permanent stress factor. While we might be able to adjust the pH on a temporary basis it will only be temporary.

For your soil, the best choices for warm season grasses are Bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass. It is difficult enough to grow grass here with normal stress factors such as heat, drought and cold. If the soil pH is too high or alkaline it will only compound your problems.

One other thing, it is a misconception to assume your soil pH is acidic simply because oaks are growing in your yard and the leaves drop into the soil. It takes so long for them to decompose and alter soil pH. The only sure way to know the soil pH is to have it tested. We can do a test for you at no cost. Get a bucket; collect soil 4-6 inches deep from various areas within your lawn and drop it into the bucket. Mix the soil in the bucket and bring up a portion of the soil to one of our offices. The main office in Callahan is available most days from 8am – 5pm. The Yulee satellite office has a Master Gardener on duty from 10am – 2pm on Fridays only (if it is not a holiday).

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