Lime Applications in Lawn Care
Lime Treats the Soil For Low pH
When a suggestion is made to put Lime down in the yard, most people, including me, think they may be being taken advantage of. I believed I was being sold a bill of worthless goods. The first thought that went through my mind was, “I don’t need that. All I need is to fertilize.” And when I found out that Lime leaches into the soil, I was even more skeptical. But nothing could be further from the truth.
My yard had many weeds – Crabgrass, Spotted Spurge, Florida Betony, Dandelion, Shiny Cudweed, and Chamber Bitter seem the most popular, and I had my share of them. But weeds need acidic soil to grow well, and with Lime, we are trying to change that – we want to raise the pH level from acidic to neutral soil and how you do that is with Lime (granular). If you want to go from alkaline soil to neutral, that is done with sulfur.
Either way, the process starts with a soil sample or test.
Soil Testing
Soil testing is a process that involves taking a sample of soil from a specific area and analyzing it to determine the soil’s physical and chemical properties. The chemical properties of the soil must be measured using technical machinery. Rogers Lawn Service uses Clemson University to analyze the soil samples we take.
Why Soil Testing is important
For any plant to grow to its full potential, it needs elements from the soil. The availability of these elements to the plant is governed by the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The acidity and alkalinity of the soil is known as pH. If the pH level is not in the proper range, it needs to be adjusted with amendments (Lime or sulfur) to the soil for the maximum nutrients to be available to the grass. For centipede grass (the most popular grass for the Pee Dee areas of South Carolina), the pH level must be between 6.0 and 6.5. The results from the soil sample tell us what the pH level currently is. If it is below 6.0, the results recommend that Lime, at the proper amount per 1,000 sq. ft., be added to the soil to raise the pH level. If the pH level is above 6.5, the results recommend adding sulfur to the soil to bring the pH down to the proper level.
Benefits of the proper pH level
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Fewer Weeds
Weeds need acidic soil to thrive. Grass needs neutral soil. If you look at a property plentiful with weeds, the soil is probably acidic. If the grass appears green and there are few weeds, then the soil most likely has a Neutral pH. The Correct pH will not eradicate all weeds but will make it harder for them to grow and give the grass a healthy look.
Optimal Uptake of Fertilizer
If a property’s soil is between 6.0 and 6.5 on the pH scale, the grass has available the most nutrients to thrive and flourish. So, when we apply fertilizer to the yard, more nutrients from the fertilizer are available to the plant. It would not be so if the soil pH were less than 6.0 or greater than 6.5.
In 2022, I fertilized my yard because my grass was light green and did not grow in many places in my yard. Thinking along the same lines as most people, I felt that adding fertilizer would fix the grass. I bought the recommended fertilizer (15-0-15) and applied the correct amount per 1,000 sq. ft. The results were minimal, if any. Nothing changed. My first thought was the fertilizer was faulty. I later learned through Clemson Extension that it was probably the pH in the soil. I took a soil sample, sent it for analysis, and had my results two weeks later. My yard had a pH of 5.1. The analysis recommended applying 40 lbs of Lime per 1,000 sq. ft. (dolomitic Lime at the time was around 22.00 / 50 lb. bag). I did, and things changed.
Healthier Grass
Who doesn’t like a nice, healthy, green lawn?
Changing the soil pH
Lime or sulfur allows changes to be made to the soil pH; it allows the pH to be moved up (Lime) or down(sulfur) to a neutral level (6.0 – 6.5). When the soil is at a neutral pH level of 6.0 – 6.5, it allows the maximum amount of nutrients to be available to the plant. This is what we want to achieve at a low price.
The Complete Process of lime applications in lawn care
The first thing that needs to happen is a soil test. We charge a small fee for this. Once the soil test is taken, it is sent to Clemson University for testing. Once the sample analysis is completed, Clemson will send us a report that looks like this.
If the pH is low, the report recommends the number of pounds per square foot to apply. We apply this form for a fee. The Lime then leaches into the soil slowly over the next nine months to a year. Another soil sample is taken a year later, and the process is repeated. If you are interested or have questions, please call us at Rogers Lawn Service – (843)-731-3418.