• • The most common way to raise the pH of your soil (make it more alkaline and less acidic) is to add powdered Garden Lime. Dolomitic limestone will also add magnesium to the soil. Apply it in the fall as it takes several months for the effects to be noticeable.
  • Wood ash will also raise soil pH. It works more quickly than limestone and adds potassium and trace elements to the soil. But use caution when applying wood ash. It is very concentrated, and applying too much of it can drastically alter the pH and cause nutrient imbalances. Wood ash can also “burn” foliage, so for best results, apply it directly to the soil in the winter. Apply no more than 2 pounds per 100 square feet, every two to three years, and test your soil each year to monitor the effects.
  • To raise the pH of your soil by about one point:

In sandy soil: add 3 to 4 pounds of ground limestone per 100 square feet.

In loam (good garden soil): add 7 to 8 pounds per 100 square feet.

In heavy clay: add 8 to 10 pounds per 100 square feet.

1. Pull out Creeping Charlie by hand if you only see a plant or two here or there.
2. Smother a larger Creeping Charlie infestation by blocking all sunlight with a barrier of newspaper, tarp, or cardboard for at least a week.
3. Use a special broadleaf herbicide containing either tricolpyr or dicamba on Creeping Charlie that has taken over your lawn—these chemicals will kill Creeping Charlie without harming your grass.

Deep watering encourages deeper and stronger root growth. Therefore, watering gardens about 2 inches (5 cm.) or so once a week is preferable. Watering more often, but less deep, only leads to weaker root growth and evaporation.

• Water your lawn less frequently in shaded areas
• Prune trees and shrubs back to allow more sunlight to your lawn
• Never mow off more than one-third of the leaf at a time
• Choose a shade tolerant turf variety