Should i lime my yard

When soil is acidic, it becomes extremely hard to grow healthy grass. As the soil acidity gets worse, plant essential nutrients become unavailable for the plant to uptake, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - the three macro nutrients required for healthy growth.

Neutralizing soil pH effectively frees up these essential nutrients, giving your lawn a better chance to thrive. Unlike grass, moss thrives in acidic soil.

Moss infestations are common in shady, moist areas well as many coastal regions with acidic soil pH, where grass finds it very difficult to compete. Using calcitic lime will help neutralize your soil pH, giving turf a better chance at outcompeting moss, and reducing infestation. That said, lime cannot kill moss. Although annual lime treatments are very beneficial and a good cultural practice, existing moss infestations may require moss control treatments.

The pH of your soil is so important to plant growth because it determines the availability of almost all essential plant nutrients. When soils are too acidic, certain nutrients become less available phosphorus in particular , beneficial soil bacteria are less active and certain elements — like aluminum and manganese — can become toxic.

Since our soils here in Western Pennsylvania tend to lean toward the acidic side, lime is used to raise the pH and make it less acidic. Our goal is to add just enough lime to adjust the pH to 6. While for many years homeowners regularly doused their lawns and gardens with a random amount of lime, we now know how important it is to know your starting pH before adding any lime. Which kind? First, look to your soil test results to determine if you need calcitic lime or dolomitic lime.

It is also called aglime or agricultural lime and supplies calcium to your soil as it adjusts the pH. If your soil test came back showing high levels of magnesium, use calcitic lime. If the test shows a magnesium deficiency, then use dolomitic limestone.

Clay soils tend to hold onto magnesium, so more often than not, calcitic lime is the more appropriate choice for gardeners in Western Pennsylvania. Next, look for pelletized calcitic lime. This product is created by taking the finely pulverized particles of lime and binding them together with a binder compound to form small pellets.

Lime will naturally break down in the soil over time. As this process progresses, it will trigger the rise of calcium in the soil particles. During the rise, the acidic components will be replaced. Your lawn contains hydrogen and potassium, which are both acidic, they react with the carbonates in the lime transforming them into neutral components. Once they have turned into water, carbon dioxide, and neutralized clay, they can better support the growth of healthy plants, in this instance, grass.

Although you can fertilize your lawn and apply lime to the soil at the same time, it is not recommended. Before liming your lawn, it is a good idea to test your soil to see which product is needed most.

A professional lawn or gardening company can test the soil before treating your yard, or you can pick up a soil testing kit from the hardware store. Both lime and fertilizer are growth supplements, but they have very different jobs. Your fertilizer will help feed your plants and grass the nutrients they need to thrive. Lime, on the other hand, is used to reduce the level of acid in the soil which will make the nutrients easier to absorb.

Knowing the pH of your soil will let you know which step should be taken first. In this case, it is important to lime your lawn first. This will prevent the buildup of unabsorbed nitrates which can further increase the acid levels in the soil.

Once the lime has balanced the pH of the soil, you can then apply fertilizer to help boost the growth of your grass. Timing is very important when liming your lawn. It takes time for lime to break down in the soil and transform the pH. How long the deacidification process takes will depend on the condition of the soil, the type of lime you use, how it is applied, and how well it has been interred into the soil.

Working with a professional lawn care company can make the process quicker since they will know the best type of lime and how to apply it according to your specific soil concerns. In general, the best time to lime your lawn will be in the fall.

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In many parts of the country, adding lime to your lawn is as essential as mowing it. Without lime, lawn grasses may be unable to benefit from the nutrients in your soil, including those you add through fertilizers. By understanding how lime helps lawns and why you may need lime, you can help your lawn reach its full potential.

The following questions and answers can help guide you through that process, so you can lime your lawn confidently: What is lime?