You should work lowering your soil pH but do it slowly. I like this publication from MIss State LINK and focus Table 1. If you have clay soil, and I’m sure you do based on your current soil pH, you’ll note the pounds of elemental sulfur in the table matches the sulfur recommendation by the AgCenter in the soil test analysis. However, note the publication recommends not exceeding 2 pounds of elemental sulfur per 100 sq ft per year, so you are looking at 3 year period to lower pH to the optimal target range for centipede. Personally, I’d suggest using elemental sulfur on the lawn over aluminum sulfate, it works slowly, less chance of damaging the lawn grass and it is cheaper. Don’t try to correct this lowering the soil pH in one year.

Lawn fertilization of centipede, LSU AgCenter and other land grant universities in the south, recommend not exceeding 1 lb of N per 1000 sq ft per year. LINK. To calculate how much 15-x-x is equal to 1 lb of N per 1000 sq ft divide 100 by 15, which 6 2/3 lbs per 1000 sq ft. Now, the AgCenter recommends for centipede to apply 0.5 lbs of N (3 1/3 lbs of 15-x-x) per 1000 in mid-April, followed by a second 0.5 lb N (3 1/3 lbs of 15-x-x) application per 1000 sq ft, if you think necessary based on the how the lawn looks, in June/July.

Obviously, use a lawn fertilizer and not straight ammonium sulfate, urea, or ammonium nitrate (consumer can’t given buy that in large amounts, bomb making and all that stuff) as noted in AgCenter’s soil test results - these are components of lawn fertilizers anyway.

I wish the AgCenter they would revise their reporting procedures for soil test results for home owners in regards to lawns but they haven’t - basically you get the same report that was originally designed for commercial farmers who understand this stuff and use these the recommended fertilizers in bulk. A little more difficult for the average homeowner to understand without a background in chemistry/soil chemistry.

This post was edited on 2/11/22 at 4:26 pm