What does lime do for your lawn?

Many people are aware of lime as a treatment for their lawn but are unsure of what exactly it does, or how often they should apply it to their lawn.

How lime benefits a lawn:

• Helps to keep the pH of the soil in a range that is ideal for grass to grow.
• If the soil acidity is around 6.5 pH which is what most grass likes, then it will be able to absorb the nutrients from the soil more readily.
• Generally, adds calcium and magnesium to the soil. (some types have little to no magnesium)
• Helps to eliminate moss in a natural manner by making the grass stronger and making the soil less acidic (more alkaline), which is less appealing to moss. (Essentially the grass works to take its territory back)
• Helps to offset any excess nitrogen from fertilizer in the soil

What is lime made of?

It is made from ground limestone. An organic product that naturally contains calcium and magnesium carbonate.

“The finer ground the lime is, the faster the delivery to the soil. However, powdered lime can be tricky and messy to apply to a lawn.”

Magnesium or not?

• A common lime product that contains magnesium is Dolopril granulated lime.
• A common lime product that contains very minimal amounts of magnesium is Calpril.

If you are liming on a regular basis (spring and fall) you may want to consider using Dolopril in spring and Calpril in fall to avoid building up too much magnesium which can have adverse effects. This is primarily a concern for farmers though as they may be applying much heavier applications.

How do you know if your lawn needs lime?

Soil testing is the best way to determine if you need lime, and the only 100% way to know for sure. However, in coastal areas such as ours here in the lower mainland BC and other areas that have a lot of rainfall it is a solid bet that the rain, is leeching the soil enough that it will be acidic, among other factors. An easy sign to look for is moss, heavy amounts of weeds, and a generally unhealthy lawn. The grass will be struggling to absorb what it needs so the bullies take over. (malnutrition)

Here is another article with some good information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/lawn-care/lgen/tips-to-lime-your-lawn.htm

When should you apply lime?

Spring or Fall, or both. Ensure that you water it right away to put it into action and wash it off of the grass blades. You want to be applying it in a wetter time of year.

How much should you use?

The only way to know for sure is a soil test of course. If you are a farmer and you must correct the pH to ensure a profitable season, it would be silly not to do a soil test. For the general homeowner – if you see that there is moss in your lawn, and you know that if you don’t lime the moss and weeds come right back, it is a pretty good bet that you need lime, along with proper fertilizing.

We at MyLawn.Care have taken all of this into account and blended lawn Care Packs specifically to perform in the BC lower mainland, so that you do not need to worry about this and can just spread the Care Pack and enjoy the results!

If you would like to hear more on another topic, or have any questions on the above, feel free to comment below or email us at [email protected]. We are here to help!