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What Is Lime Treatment For Lawn

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Can You Apply Lime And Fertilizer At The Same Time

Applying Lime Treatments to your Lawn — Expert Lawn Care Tips

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.

If you have your lawn tested and see that the soil acidity is too high, your lawn wont get the maximum benefit of the fertilizer. 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.

Key Benefits Of Lime Treatments:

  • The fertilizer we apply becomes more available to your grass.
  • Fewer weeds will produce because many weeds grow best in acidic soils.
  • Thatch build-up is reduced by correcting the acidity level of your soil.
  • Root development of your grass is enhanced.
  • Spring-Green uses a quality limestone material which will bring your soils acidity to levels advantageous for growing grass. Learn more about our professional yard and lawn care services and find out what you can do to help maintain your lawns health when you look over our lawn care tips.

    Schedule a lime treatment or other lawn service by contacting your neighborhood Spring-Green lawn care professional today.

    Listen to our lime podcast below for a further look into growing healthy grass.

    Why Should I Put Lime On My Lawn

    When it comes to proper lawn care, lime is critically important. Lime will ensure that your lawn has an adequate supply of calcium, and it will also ensure your soil has a balanced pH. If you have highly acidic soil, the best and also a cost-effective solution for neutralizing is liming. 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.

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    You Experience Excessive Rainfall

    Whether its an atypically wet winter on the west coast, a barrage of storms in the south, or a boggy spring in the northeast, excessive rainfall can result in the need to add lime to your lawn.

    Water naturally pulls calcium and magnesium from the soil, which results in a more acidic pH. If youve had intense weather patterns in recent years or live in a region that experiences heavy precipitation, youll need to add lime to your lawn to combat rising soil acidity.

    Is My Lawn Getting What It Needs

    What Does Lime Do for Grass?

    You want to know that your lawn is getting what it needs at the right times, including lime lawn treatments. But it can certainly seem frustrating not knowing if your soil is sufficient to grow a thick, green lawn or if your efforts are being wasted because it needs a pH adjustment. This is why its important to choose a lawn care company in Central and Southern Maryland that knows our soils and can understand everything your lawn needs to thrive. You certainly have better things to do than worry about whether your lawn is getting all it needs at the right times. You just want to trust that its in the right professional hands. Thats where Natural Green Systems comes in. We have decades of experience in , and weve seen more than our fair share of Maryland soil. Were happy to take this worry off of your mind and improve your soil pH with lime applications. Give Natural Green a call today for a free quote and well bring our proven lawn care experience and create a custom plan for your Central and Southern Maryland lawn.

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    Benefits Of Lime Treatment For Lawn

    Calcitic lime is a primary lawn care supplement and improves the acidity of the soil. As its name suggests, lime contains a sufficient amount of calcium. In essence, Calcitic lime is four times more effective and faster than dolomitic lime.

    Dolomitic lime contains a high amount of magnesium, and its application may take up to 5 years to start working. That is why it is not the right choice for residential turf.

    Regular liming, however, does a wealth of good to your lawn. Still unsure why Calcitic lime is the right addition for your lawn? Here are some benefits you shouldnt ignore.

    The Benefits Of Adding Lime To Your Lawn And When To Apply It

    When lawns are weedy, patchy in spots or turn yellow, it may be a sign that the pH balance of your yard is out of whack. One of the primary methods of correcting the problem is to add lime to your lawn to restore depleted nutrients and repair the damage. Liming a neglected lawn can eventually return your grass to a lush green oasis, although the positive effects may not happen overnight.

    Raising the PH level

    If your soil is below the ideal pH zone and has turned sour, the calcium carbonate in lime can help neutralize your soils acidity. Lime is commonly sold as ground agricultural limestone. It is considered a natural soil amendment rather than a fertilizer and furnishes important plant nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. Lime also reduces soil toxicity while promoting the regulation of nutrients such as zinc, copper, and especially phosphorous. Do not over apply lime to your soil as this will cause big issues with any crops including grass. Attaining a soil pH reading of 7.0 is ideal.A well-kept, green lawn is a source of pride for many homeowners, and it can also be a source of stress when things start to get patchy. One popular secret to lush, green, healthy grass is lime!

    Lime Adds Necessary Nutrients

    Lime Nourishes Essential Bacteria

    Testing Your Soil

    We can test you soil and make sure the right levels of everything are present. We help our residential and commercial clients with their lawns and landscaping all year round!

    Contact Us for a Free Consultation!

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    How Much Lime Should I Apply And What’s The Most Effective Way To Apply It

    regular lawn spreaderblueberriesacid-loving plantsYour lawn’s soil type affects how much lime it takes to change soil pH.Always read the product label and follow the instructions carefully.Pennington is a registered trademark of Pennington Seed, Inc.Fast Acting and Advanced Soil technology are trademarks of Encap, LLC.

    How Do You Know If Your Soil Needs Lime

    Applying Lime Treatments to your Lawn — Fixing Acidic Soils

    Before you rush off to your nearest gardening store to order lime for delivery, bear in mind that not all lawns will benefit from lime.

    I have an in-depth article which details the best ways to tell if your lawn needs lime, but the short answer is you should conduct a soil test.

    This will help to assess things like pH balance and nutrient distribution. At your local hardware store you can buy a cheap pH meter to check the pH of your lawn, but I find these have questionable accuracy.

    This is why I spend about $30 annually to invest in a quality soil test kit that I can mail to a lab to get online results that are very accurate.

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    When Should I Add Lime To My Lawn

    Before you add anything to your soil, get a soil tester and measure the pH. The common wisdom among farmers is that they prefer to lime their soil close to but before the first frost of autumn. This varies by region in the USA, so take a look at weather trends in your area to estimate when to expect frost.

    How And When To Apply Lime

    Once you have determined that your soils pH level is acidic , it is time to apply a lime application. Consider aerating your lawn before liming to ensure the lime reaches deep into the soil and produces the best results!

    Pelletized lime can be purchased at any home improvement store such as Lowes or Home Depot and easily applied. The pellet version of the ground limestone is more efficient than powder versions because its less likely to blow away in the wind and will stay put once it reaches the soil.

    Plan accordingly based on the size of your lawn to purchase the correct amount of lime.

    Lime will work best when it is evenly distributed on the lawn. Use a drop or rotary spreader to blanket the grass with a lime layer never use your hands because it can irritate the skin. If you are careless while applying lime, it can lead to poor results, including raising pH levels in areas with higher amounts of lime and patchy regions that the lime did not reach or neutralize pH levels.

    DO NOT apply limestone during frosty weather or on a wet or wilted lawn.

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    Can Lime Hurt My Lawn

    Lime is essential in bringing the pH from acidic toward basic to achieve the optimal pH. However, lime can be a danger to plants that prefer a more acidic soil. If youre growing flowers and shrubs that include azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas or camellias, consult your landscaper before adding lime, as these particular plants prefer a more acidic pH.

    The Agricultural Effects Of Lime Application To Soil

    Lime Treatment For Lawn

    The components that make up lime are responsible for the agricultural effects it has on the soil. The two main components of lime are magnesium and calcium. Without these components, plant life would not be able to sustain itself. Homeowners have a responsibility to ensure soil on their properties contains these components. That way, plant life can survive.

    To give you a better understanding of lime application to soil, below are the main effects that lime has on the soil:

    The pH levels increase in any soil with high acidic levels.

    Plants will be able to receive the required magnesium and calcium they need to stay healthy.

    Water can now penetrate into soils with high acidic levels and hydrate them.

    Lime enables plants that are growing on acidic soils to absorb more nutrients than usual.

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    Get Help From The Professionals

    When it comes to applying lime on your lawnor any other lawn care taskit can be a little overwhelming, especially for new homeowners. So let the experienced professionals help! Our team of local experts can add lime to your lawn this upcoming winter and prepare it for optimal growth in the next growing season. Learn more about our different lawn care treatment options.

    How And When To Apply Lime To Your Maryland Lawn

    Your lawn needs some love throughout the year. While some of the care your lawn needs may seem straightforward, other maintenance can be confusing.

    One such service that may make you scratch your head at times is lime applications. Bottom line: Central and Southern Maryland soil conditions can require lime at times to ensure it provides what your lawn needs to grow.

    Lets look at how lime can help your lawn soil and when to apply lime in Maryland to give you more insight into this necessary service.

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    Bonide Chemical Hydrated Lime

    Bonide chemical is a versatile formula designed for potted plants, gardens, and lawns. A high quality product can raise the pH level of soil quickly and neutralize acidity. Plus, it can improve soil structure and provide sufficient calcium to the lawn. It strengthens the soil so it can easily absorb the nutrients from the soil.

    Does Your Lawn Need Lime

    Which Lime For Lawns Is More Powerful?

    A lawn that is yellowed, cant recover from drought stress, or is being overgrown by weeds and other invasive plants is generally in need of lime treatment. Liming reduces soil acidity and encourages grass growth. Once youve identified how to tell if your lawn needs lime, be sure to test the soil pH level. If possible, contact a university extension for the best soil testing results.

    Once youve identified the problem and know how severe the soil acidity is, and your soil type, you can proceed with a lime application to your lawn to promote better grass growth.

    See more

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    Lime For Lawns Reduces Soil Acidity

    Kelly Burke is a professional turf manager for a manicured corporate campus in New England. He is accredited in organic land care and is a licensed pesticide applicator. He formerly managed the turfgrass as a golf course superintendent and has held several senior management positions at private country clubs overseeing high maintenance lawns.

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    Soil pH, an important element in proper plant care, is a measure of its relative acidity or alkalinity. For most plants to thrive, the pH level needs to be in the range of about 6 to 7, which is just slightly acidic. A lower pH level, indicative of very acidic soil, is problematic because it prevents plants from absorbing nutrients. In a soil with a very acidic pH of 4.5, for example, it is estimated that about 70 percent of applied fertilizer is wasted because plants can’t make use of it. If your soil is too acidic, you can add agricultural lime for lawns when applied systematically as a soil amendment, it can work to adjust the overall soil pH away from the acidic side and back toward neutral pH.

    Green Lawn Fertilizing Knows All About Lime For Your Lawn

    We offer lime applications in PA, NJ, and DE. Green Lawn Fertilizing will test your soil pH for free to determine the amount of lime and the number of applications needed to properly balance your pH. We use granular limestone to reduce the dusty residue that is common with powdered lime. These granular are held together with a water-soluble substance that dissolves quickly when wet to allow it to absorb deep into your soil. Call us today at 888-581-5296 for a free quote and to schedule a service.

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    Your Lawn Is Struggling To Recover From A Recent Drought

    During a drought, most grasses slow their growth, allowing nutrients to reach only the most vital parts. You should not apply lime to a stressed or drought-stricken lawn.

    Its important to keep an eye on the soil pH. If the soil indicates that a change in pH is the solution, you can apply lime during the rainy season, when the lawn is recovering from the drought.

    Can Lime Burn Grass

    Lawn Lime Treatment: Should You Add Lime To Your Lawn?

    When extra lime remains on grass blades, it can cause chemicals to further damage lawns that are already wilted and weak. Watering your lawn after a lime application defends against potential burns as any excess product will be removed from the lawns surface.

    The timing of the application also has a significant impact. Whereas hot summer weather can cause lime to burn lawns , the cool temperatures of spring and fall are conducive to more effective results. An added bonus of a fall application is that the freeze-thaw cycles and combination of rain/snow help accelerate the breakdown of lime for lawns.

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    How Often Should I Lime My Lawn

    Once the lawn area is limed, you may need to repeat that process every 1-2 years. Sometimes a bit longer, but that decision always begins with a soil pH test.

    Lime lawn treatments in Charlotte should always be a proactive measure, meaning you should only decide to lime your lawn once you know what your soil pH is. If you apply lime without checking the initial pH and raise it too high or too low, the lawn will suffer. The general rule of thumb is that 50lbs of lime will dress 1,000 sqft of a lawn. The soil pH will also give you a more precise indication of how much lime you need.

    If your lawn needs lime, then follow these rules:

    • Generally, only apply 50 lbs of lime or less during the initial application.
    • If you need more than 50 lbs of lime to fully treat the soil, then apply the lime in two applications. The first occurs in early spring, and the second in the next fall or winter.
    • After lime treatment is complete, repeat every few years if pH soil indicates you need it.
    • Check the lawn soil pH every 1-2 years.
    • Only add lime when the soil pH test indicates the pH is dropping.

    What Type Of Lime To Buy

    Limestone can be derived from either calcitic lime or dolomitic lime. Calcitic lime is the preferred type, thanks to the added plant benefits provided by the calcium. There are several types of calcitic lime products available, including agricultural ground limestone, pulverized limestone, and pelletized limestone. While both pulverized and pelletized limestone will change the pH of the soil relatively quickly, pelletized limestone is the easiest to apply.

    While the results of your soil test will tell you how many pounds of pure calcium carbonate to apply to your soil to raise the pH, liming materials are not pure calcium carbonate. Look for the “calcium carbonate equivalent” on the bag label, which will vary depending on the liming material.

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