Did you use a PH test kit or probe or was the PH test done by a professional organization? Homeowner grade PH tests are very unreliable.

-Deerslayer

I used a probe and a home pH soil test kit.

Both came out alkaline.

sulphur to bring ph out of alkaline... may have a little extra trouble locating it in the area because as you say most everything down here is acidic but it shouldnt take much to locate some... as far as a longer/slower way to do it you can mix in some pine bark fines or partly decomposed pine needles which will contribute acidity to the soil... before doing any of this however go to your local extension or call them up and get a soil test kit.. next door in SC the soil test is only 6$ and I assume its similarly cheap in GA.. this will give you a real pH measurement.. at home tests can be easily thrown off by surface fertilizers/additives or overapplied additives in the past (someone could have been heavy with lime for the last 25 years in that yard or something)

How do I locate my local extension?

If it's really extremely alkaline, it's very difficult to get it to neutral or slightly acidic. Soil sulfur can lower the pH over time, but I don't think it's very effective over a broad area like a lawn. I was able to help out a tree that was suffering by drilling holes with an augur and pouring a total of 50 lbs of sulfur in holes around the tree. But that's a single tree, and I didn't bother with the ehtire lawn.

Your best bet would be to try to get as much organic matter as possible. Can you top dress with compost or with shredded trees (some tree services will supply the shredded trees for free so they don't have to pay for dumping)? I pick up coffee grounds from Starbucks every week and fling them around the lawn. They're a source of Nitrogen, but the main reason I do it is to add more organic matter and attract worms.

The best time to seed fescue is in the fall, to give it a good chance to get established before the heat of summer kicks in. I think it would be difficult to get fescue established in GA if you seed it now. Maybe Quirkyquercus will chime in on the timing of planting cool season grasses in GA.

Hey bpgreen, if you take into consideration that my lawn gets morning sun and spotted sun through out the rest of the day (mostly) shady, do you think I stand a chance seeding fescue now, since it will have some protection from the hot Georgia sun?

www.georgiaturf.com (RE how do I find my ext.)

Novice, here's a link that will lead you to your extension offices throughout Georgia. They are a good source for any kind of horticultural information you might need and can tell you where to have a good lab soil test done. Home tests are notorious for being terribly inaccurate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Georgia extension offices

Novice, I won't doubt your readings if you trust the measuring tool to be even somewhat accurate.
But, for your particular lawn I suggest before you put too much of one thing...(sulphur) onto your ground you get a proper test done by your local extension service.
It will be either out of a local college or university or through a state government facility.
In any case, a proper reading should be gotten before doing anything drastic.

You wouldn't want to change overnight your pH anyway...that could lead to problems. Dumping garden sulfur onto your lawn can adversely affect it practically overnight.
Lawn fertilizer with a high nitrogen content can change your pH over time.....hence the reason many gardeners throw lime onto their lawns in ths spring.
A little lime cannot change abruptly the pH....but can lessen to an extent the damage that too much lawn fertilizer does with its high nitrogen content.
As long as lime is not spread in large amounts it can help bring up the pH.

If you do decide to get a proper test done, do read about what is necessary to take the proper sampling.
If you have evergreen trees on your property, they can influence the pH. So while you may test your lawn as being alkaline, the area around your trees might well be very acidic. So the question arises how to get a balancing of the readings. A proper test that tells you what to add where and how much can do your lawn a big service.

The reason many gardeners add lime to their soil has nothing to do with Nitrogen. It has to do with pH. Nitrogen doesn't lower pH. Some fertilizers with Nitrogen may have a temporary effect on the pH of the soil, but it has nothing to do with the nitrogen in the fertilizer.

If your soil is high pH, you will not see any effect on the pH from fertilizer. To raise it much, you'll need to add sulfur. To raise it slowly and to buffer the effects in the interim, you can add as much organic matter as you can.

But do get a good soil test done before doing anything else. It's possible that your soil is alkaline due to other factors (construction debris is often high in pH for example, or the prior owner may have over-limed). But if most soil in your area is acidic, I'd be hesitant to trust a home soil test.

Thanks guys!

If anyone is looking for the extension in Gwinnett county the number is 678-377-4010

I take it you contacted the extension service? I'm curious. What advice did they give? Did they tell you that there are high pH areas? Are you getting a soil test done by the extension service?

Be sure to read GardenWeb's Soil, Compost and Mulch forum. You will learn everything you need to know (well, almost!)

Here is a link that might be useful: soil forum

thenovice, I live about 30miles west of you probably. I just seeded with Rebel Exeda and it germinated in 9 days. Thats pretty fast from what I've read. I tilled and started over about 10 days ago. I have always seeded in the spring and fall. The key to the spring is get it up and growing quick. Soil prep is the key. Since its not humid right now, I water with my hand sprayer in the afternoon everyday to keep the top 1/2" and seeds wet till they germinated. Once they germinated I water once a week regularly. Water enough that one time to get 1" of watering. Yes when August gets here you might lose a little grass but if you take care of it properly it want be to bad. You will need to put out some seed in the fall anyways since its fescue. The weather is perfect right now so I'd go ahead and reseed. But I would not wait till April or may. Thats to late. Also, be sure to use Scotts Starter fertilizer. That will help get the roots deeper sooner.

Re: The novice
I noticed you live in or near Gwinnett County. I do as well (Lawrenceville). I'm just wandering where in the area you are seeing the St. Augustine. I've lived here for about 10 yrs and have never seen any here (I had it in FL). Mine, unfortunately is Bermuda (like 90% of the lawns here). I used to have Fescue adn wish I still did.