Adjust your soil pH with lime and enhance your lawn health!
What is lime?
Lime when used for lawn care, is pelletized limestone. Lime comes in two basic forms, Dolomitic Lime (Magnesium) and Calcitic Lime (Calcium). The type of lime used will be determined by the soil test results.
Why should you lime?
Lime is needed for a lawn when a soil test indicates the soil pH is below the optimum growing range of 6.0-7.0. Soil pH measures the soils alkalinity or acidity. A soil is acidic if it has a pH below 7.0 (neutral).
Soils can become naturally acidic from natural leaching, acidic rainfall or acidic sources of irrigation.
A soil pH below 6.0 will cause the nutrients from the fertilizer we apply to become “locked up” in the soil making them unavailable for the lawn to fully utilize the nutrients applied. Loss of color, reduced health and inability to recover from heat and drought stress are a direct result of improper pH levels.
How much lime is necessary?
The amount and frequency of lime will be determined by soil testing. We will take soil samples from your property and send them to a professional testing lab. After we get the results back, we will send you a copy of the soil test along with a letter explaining what the soil test results recommend for your property.
When to lime?
The best time to lime is spring or fall when the lawn has the least amount of stress and the lime has more time to react with the soil. To gain the fastest benefit from a lime application, lime can be applied at the same time as aerating and seeding. The open holes created by the aerating allow the lime to be incorporated into the soil profile faster while the application of lime will enhance seed germination when soil pH is not in the 6.2-7.3 range.
What are the benefits of Fall Seeding?
- Raise soil pH to optimum levels
- Improved nutrient uptake by the grass plants
- Improved overall health
- Improved drought resistance and recovery
- Better grass color
- Better seed germination
