Importance of Liming in Lawn Care

In regions where rainfall exceeds 30 inches per year, like in the eastern part of the United States, soil acidity can become a problem. Too much moisture leads to leaching basic or alkaline-forming ions, like calcium and magnesium. When this happens, the soil becomes acid and lawns cannot grow properly on such a soil. The solution for this kind of problem is liming, an operation considered to be very important for lawn care.

Studies made by Virginia Tech Laboratory in 1987 and carried on samples taken from 24,000 lawns concluded that more than half of the samples presented a level of pH of 6.0 when the optimum pH for grass lawn is 6.2 to 6.5. Liming must be carried out only when the soil conditions impose it, as too much lime (as well as too little of it) can cause damage.

The material used for liming is called limestone and it is easy to use. Limestone is spread on the lawn using a drop spreader or a spinner spreader. A full and uniform coverage is a must as limestone does not dissolve. Areas that are not applied with limestone will remain acidic, while areas where the concentration of limestone is too high will result to a higher pH level, damaging the soil. The best solution to acquire a good coverage is to use a crisscross pattern when spreading the limestone –  applying one half of the substance in one direction and the remaining perpendicularly.

It is not very hard to find out if the lime has been spread uniformly, as its white color is visible. It is recommended that 50 lbs of limestone be applied for every 1000 sq. ft. of surface. One or two rainfalls will wash away any limestone surplus from the surface. Sometimes, larger amounts of limestone are needed. If this is the case,  it is recommended to split the lime application. It can be used three to six months from the initial application, when aesthetic reasons come up. The problem is that large amounts of the lime can remain visible for a long period of time and, therefore, the effect is not very aesthetic.