The statement ‘Warm-season turfgrasses can’t tolerate a soil pH below 6.5 or above 7.2’ is:

The statement ‘Warm-season turfgrasses can’t tolerate a soil pH below 6.5 or above 7.2’ is:

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Partially true

Answer: (B)

Understanding soil pH tolerance is about how nutrient availability shifts with pH and how much a grass can handle before growth is noticeably affected. Warm-season turfgrasses generally perform best in a near-neutral range, but they can tolerate a wider pH spectrum than the statement suggests. In practice, many warm-season grasses grow well from about pH 5.5 up to 7.5, with optimal growth typically around 6.0–7.0, though specific species may shift a bit higher or lower. The claim that they can’t tolerate below 6.5 or above 7.2 falsely narrows this tolerance; plants may still grow and be healthy outside that narrow window, though nutrient availability becomes less favorable and symptoms can appear if pH is far from ideal. If soil pH drifts outside the preferred range, lime or sulfur can adjust it, or you can select a grass species better suited to the site. So the statement is not accurate because warm-season grasses tolerate a broader pH range than it indicates.

Understanding soil pH tolerance is about how nutrient availability shifts with pH and how much a grass can handle before growth is noticeably affected. Warm-season turfgrasses generally perform best in a near-neutral range, but they can tolerate a wider pH spectrum than the statement suggests. In practice, many warm-season grasses grow well from about pH 5.5 up to 7.5, with optimal growth typically around 6.0–7.0, though specific species may shift a bit higher or lower. The claim that they can’t tolerate below 6.5 or above 7.2 falsely narrows this tolerance; plants may still grow and be healthy outside that narrow window, though nutrient availability becomes less favorable and symptoms can appear if pH is far from ideal. If soil pH drifts outside the preferred range, lime or sulfur can adjust it, or you can select a grass species better suited to the site. So the statement is not accurate because warm-season grasses tolerate a broader pH range than it indicates.