Acidic soil

Afternoon all. A sizeable strip of our backgarden was overgrown and neglected by previous owner. For 20 years it was overhung with cypress trees and is now a bare strip of dirt with a pH of 4.5 (according to my wee meter - although it doesn't go any lower...) I've removed the cypress to give it some light - only trees over it are ash, and I'm not allowed to touch them, even if I wanted to... Missus wants it grassed - I just want it not to be an eyesore.
Any suggestions on fixing it?
PS, grassed area outwith needle-fall footprint also comes in at 4.5pH... (see pics)
PPS, other bare bits are where the dogs run, but those can be fenced off temporarily if need be...
Any help much appreciated thanks

 

First thing would be to add as mch humus as you can get hold of, even if you end up putting grass on it. Then it needs a lot of lime to bring the alkalinity level nearer to neutral. Very little will grow in soil as acidic as that.

 

I would question the accuracy of your meter.
a pH of 4.5 is crazy acidic.
Have a look here - LandIS - Land Information System - Soilscapes soil types viewer
Enter your postcode and it will give you a rough idea of the type of soil, pH etc for your postcode area

 

Agree with @Pete8 those reading are probably false as there is a lot of debate as to how effective those probe type of meters are, plus if the soil was that low expect you would be seeing a lot of problems with other plants in that area.

Would not go adding Lime without being 100% sure, so best to have a proper soil analysis which can be undertaken by many places including the RHS.
Soil analysis service | RHS Gardening Advice / RHS Gardening

The next best thing would be one of those Garden Soil liquid test kit you can buy quiet cheaply.

The only catch for any ph testing, is to be really sure you need to take several samples from different locations in your garden.

Probably the best test is to look in your neighbours gardens, do they have nice lawns, if so would suggest your soil is fine, though as @Palustris says adding some humus and /or fertiliser will help replenish things that the trees extracted.

Are you going to have turf laid or seed it yourself ?

 

Surely a build up of conifer droppings over the years is giving a reading that is not true of the actual soil.
A bit like adding a mulch and then taking a reading of the mulch.

With the conifers are gone I would expect the acidity to decline.

 

The readings thing could be right... was 6.1 after I soaked it...the main issue I think was shade... you can see the apple tree against the far fence that leans right over because it had no light...
I would seed it rather than turf it if I'm honest... it's quite a few square meters.
The soil site says slightly acidic, clayey with impeded drainage... add to that no light and I suppose the result is that desert... the pictures are taken facing north, south is my back, east is over the fence on the right... elevation is 850ft above sea level...
I need to try to rescue it somehow - the truth is I am bereft of ideas...

 

Your soil is fairly similar to mine which is - Slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage
I can grow most plants in my garden, so with some tlc you can get it back in condition.
I'd go for a mix of shrub and perennial beds with some grassed areas and maybe somewhere to sit. A small wildlife pond maybe - there are loads of options depending of course on the time, effort and money you want to put into it.
To get it back in condition as mentioned above you'll need a LOT of organic material to be dug in first.

 

pH 6.1 sounds more reasonable. When did you remove the trees?
I'd be inclined to dig it over, adding as much organic matter as possible and then leave over winter. Over winter have a think about what you want grass or a shrubby border. Over winter it will get plenty of water, which having been dug over will soak in allowing the soil to recover and get some life in it.

 

I agree - give it time to settle, after adding some organic matter, and do the planning - decide on what you want it too look like, and what suits your needs.
I understand you want to sort it all out, but it can be a real waste of money to rush in and start planting or seed sowing etc, and if plants or grass fail, you won't be accurately able to tell why. Clay soil always benefits from a bit of help anyway.

Patience is every bit as important in gardening as the actual gardening - but it's often the hardest part! It'll pay off in the long run though.