Achieving a healthy, lush lawn often starts beneath the surface—with the soil’s pH level. The best soil pH for a lawn typically ranges between 6.0 and 7.0. When your soil is too acidic, grass struggles to absorb nutrients efficiently, leading to patchy growth and weak turf. Liming your lawn is the best way to remedy a problem with the soil pH and the process is fairly simple.
Start With a Soil Test Before Liming Your Lawn
Before applying lime to a lawn, first test your soil’s pH with an at-home kit or professional service. Your regional cooperative extension office can help you find resources for getting your soil tested. Once you know how much adjustment is needed, choose pelletized or powdered lime products accordingly.
Common Signs of a Lawn that is Too Acid
Even without a soil test, there are some telltale signs that your lawn’s soil pH may need adjusting. Common signs of a lawn that is too acid include:
- Increased moss growth.
- Poor grass color despite fertilization.
- Slow recovery after mowing or foot traffic.
- An increase in certain weeds that prefer acid soil, such as plantain, mullein, and oxalis.
If you notice any of these symptoms, it may be time to consider amending your soil with lime.
What is Lime?
Lime is a natural material made primarily from ground limestone (calcium carbonate). The primary function of lime is to neutralize acidic soils by counteracting excess hydrogen ions present in the earth. By doing so, it raises the soil’s pH levels, moving them closer to the optimal, neutral range, necessary for healthy grass growth and overall plant vitality.
Different Types of Limestone
There are two options for limestone, and each has slightly different properties. One is calcitic limestone. It’s mainly derived from deposits of high-calcium limestone. It dissolves relatively quickly to adjust soil pH and becomes available most quickly for plant absorption. The other is dolomitic lime. It’s made from dolomitic limestone, a sedimentary rock that contains a high concentration of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Dolomitic lime breaks down slowly and is beneficial for soils low in magnesium. If your soil test indicates that your lawn has sufficient magnesium, it’s best to use calcitic lime to avoid creating too high a concentration of magnesium.
Limestone may be purchased in a pelletized form or as rock that has been pulverized into a fine-grained powder. Pellets are manufactured to a uniform size that makes them easy to apply at a consistent rate with a fertilizer spreader. They’re also not as messy as working with pulverized limestone which can raise a lot of dust when applying. As mentioned, though, it’s important to choose the type of lime most appropriate to your soil conditions as determined by a soil test. Cost may also be a factor if you have a large area to cover. Pelletized limestone may be a bit more costly than crushed limestone.
When to Apply Lime to a Lawn
Although you could apply lime at any time of year, often the best time for liming your lawn is in the fall. This gives the lime time to break down and work its way into the soil so that it’s available when the grass starts growing in the spring. It’s best not to apply it at the height of summer when the lawn may be under stress from heat or lack of water.
Choose a day when the grass is dry then evenly spread the lime using a broadcast spreader. The rate of lime application on a lawn depends on current pH levels and soil type but typically ranges from 20 to 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet for most residential lawns needing adjustment. Always follow product instructions closely when liming your lawn; over-applying can create new issues by making the soil too alkaline. You should water the lawn thoroughly after applying lime to wash it off the grass blades and down to the soil level.
Once you apply lime you shouldn’t have to reapply it for several years. Routine monitoring with a soil test every couple of years should inform you as to when it’s to apply more lime.
Learn More About Adjusting Soil pH
The proper soil pH can make a difference in the health and growth of plants throughout your landscape and gardens. To learn more about adjusting soil pH see our article, How to Change Your Soil pH.
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