How to Treat Grass With Lime

Although the addition of lime to the lawn adjusts the pH of the lawn's soil and supplies calcium and magnesium, it is not considered a fertilizer, but a soil conditioner. Whether or not your lawn requires the addition of lime should be determined by the results of an annual soil analysis. Lime is available at nurseries and garden centers and is sold in several forms. Pelletized lime is the most convenient to use and emits the least amount of dust. Wear gloves and a dust mask and treat grass with lime in the fall.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Dust mask
• Soil test
• Spreader

Instructions

1. Obtain a soil analysis. This is the only way to determine exactly how much lime your lawn requires. Your county cooperative extension office offers these tests at reasonable prices.

2. Avoid burning the lawn with spilled lime by loading the spreader, with the amount of lime recommended for your lawn, on the driveway or sidewalk.

3. Walk across the lawn in strips as you spread the lime. Line strips up against one another but don't overlap.

4. Water the lawn as you normally do after application. This will dissolve the lime and spread it into the soil.

References

• West Virginia University Extension Service; Liming The Lawn; Clifford W. Collier, Jr.;
• Ohio State University Extension; Lime and the Home Lawn; William E. Pound, et al.
• "Landscape Management: Planting and Maintenance of Trees, Shrubs and Turfgrass"; James R. Feucht and Jack D. Butler; 1988

Resources

• University of Florida Extension: How To Calibrate Your Fertilizer Spreader; L.B. McCarty, et al.