Liming adds calcium to the soil. It enhances the availability of phosphates and prevents molybdenum deficiency. It promotes the activity of earthworms and nitrogen-fixing bacteria as well as the breakdown of organic material that releases nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and micro-elements.
Lime is a soil conditioner and controls the soil acidity by neutralising the effects of acids from nitrogen (N) fertiliser, slurry and high rainfall. Other benefits include an increase in earthworm activity, improvement in soil structure and grass is more palatable to livestock.
The main purpose of liming is to raise soil pH and supply calcium and sometimes magnesium for plant growth.
What's the best time to apply lime? Fall and spring are generally the best times to lime lawns. Fall has an added advantage, as rain, snow and cycles of freezing and thawing help lime break down and begin to work.
Lime can also cleanse the soil, removing toxicities and infusing the ground with essential nutrients. This often clears up common grass and turf issues, leading to a healthier and better looking yard. Made of limestone or chalk, lime's main component is calcium carbonate. It adds calcium and magnesium to the soil.
Using too much lime on your lawn will remove the acidity from the soil, but it will also make it too alkaline for your grass to thrive. This will cause yellowing grass that is also not able to absorb vital moisture and nutrients from the soil around it.
But when too much calcium is applied by over-liming, so much pore space can result that the soil dries out much easier than before. So you can lose efficiency of water use, whether it's from rainfall or irrigation, if you over-lime your soils.
Using lime can be an effective and affordable way to lower soil acidity, nourish healthy bacteria, and add helpful nutrients to soil. However, amending the soil can take some time, and you may run the risk of over-liming or negatively impacting some of your plants.
How long the effects of lime last will depend on the kind of lime used, total soil acidity, amount of organic matter, kind and amount of clay, and cropping and management systems used. A soil test three to four years after lime application will help provide the answer.
In general, it's best not to apply lime and fertilizer at the same time — but how do you decide whether to apply lime or fertilizer first? The pH balance of your soil will largely dictate which of the two products you apply first. Keep in mind the goals of each growth supplement.
How fast lime begins to work depends upon how bad your lawn is. That's because the amount of time that it will take to raise your soil pH depends on just how low it was. Generally speaking, it could take one to two years.
Soil stabilization occurs when lime is added to a reactive soil to generate long-term strength gain through a pozzolanic reaction. This reaction produces stable calcium silicate hydrates and calcium aluminate hydrates as the calcium from the lime reacts with the aluminates and silicates solubilized from the clay.
Adding lime (Figure 1) increases soil pH (reduces acidity), adds calcium (Ca) and/or magnesium (Mg), and reduces the solubility of Al and Mn in the soil. aWhen soil pH is below the minimum value, crop yields may be reduced. bRange is given, as specific minimum pH values vary among crop species.
Your soil test should tell you exactly how much (if any) lime to add to your soil. If the soil test indicates an acidic pH and reveals low magnesium levels, add dolomitic lime. If magnesium levels are in the acceptable range, add garden lime.
Determine how much lime to use:
Most other plants grow best in a soil with a pH level of 6.0 to 6.8. The rule of thumb for raising your pH level by 1 is 40lbs of lime per thousand square feet of yard. But never apply more than 50lbs of lime per one thousand square feet at a time.
In general, it takes 1.2 tons of agricultural lime per acre to raise the pH of a loam soil by one point. It is half that for sandy soil and almost double for clay soil.
Benefits of Proper Lime Use
Lime is a source of calcium (as well as magnesium, if dolomitic limestone is applied). Nutrient solubility is improved by a higher pH, so plants have a better nutrient supply. (The optimum pH for most crops is 5.8 to 6.2 when grown on mineral soils in North Carolina.)
Liming directly affects some physical properties of the soil, such as flocculation, aggregates, density and porosity. Flocculation of soil particles initially is smallest, which promotes greater particle dispersion.
Acidity levels can work against your best efforts, and in the process, you can spend a surprising amount of money just to wind up disappointed. Adding lime to your soil may help your grass grow faster and thicker. Not only just this lend itself to a lush lawn, but one that's robust enough to fight off problems.
You can also apply lime in early spring. Don't apply lime when your lawn is frost-covered or wilted. And always water the lawn after applying the lime to wash the lime off the grass blades and allow it to make contact with the soil.
Lime is usually applied during the Autumn or Winter so your lawn may not need mowing. If it does, then it's best to mow before applying the product.
Lime (limestone) is a material that's heavy in calcium and powerful tool in yard care used to help balance soil acidity. Lime can not be used to kill weeds. While it works to balance the pH of your soil, it may inadvertently make the space less desireable for weeds to grow.