If you suspect that your lawn is missing something but can’t quite put your finger on it, it may need lime. Lime is one of those things you will only need to add every few years and only if your lawn needs it. It’s easy to overlook. Below are 10 signs that you may want to add lime to your lawn, including testing the pH.
Common Signs That Your Lawn Needs Lime? (The Short Answer)
While it’s possible to guess whether or not your lawn needs lime by looking at it, there is no definitive visual or tactile sign. The most common way to tell if your lawn needs lime is to test its pH in 3 to 4 areas using an inexpensive and widely-available pH test kit.
How to Tell If Your Lawn Needs Lime (Watch Out for These Signs)
While no sign is definitive, several can help you decide if you want to pick up a pH test kit or send off soil samples to your local agricultural extension office. Below are 10 signs your lawn needs lime and how to tell them from other, similar conditions.
You’ve Tested Your Lawn and It Has a Low (Acidic) pH
How do I know if my lawn needs lime? The best way is to test the soil pH of your lawn. A pH below 6.5 means adding lime will have a significant benefit. Any pH that is 6.5 or higher will not benefit much from the application of lime. Adding lime if there is already a pH of 7 can have detrimental effects.
If you do choose to test your lawn’s pH, do so in at least 3 places and make sure these zones are a minimum of 4 feet from each other, trees, or fences if you can. This helps you get a clearer idea of the average pH of your entire lawn rather than a small section of it. If you notice a spot with particularly thin or yellow grass, include this as one of your primary testing zones.
Some Fertilizers Have Reduced Effectiveness
A low pH indicates “poor” soil or soil that is nutrient depleted as opposed to nutrient-dense. Even if you apply fertilizer to soil with a low pH, it may do little good for 3 reasons:
- First, bacteria in soil with a pH of less than 5.5 or more than 7 are less active and will be less likely to break down nitrogen from organic matter, including natural fertilizers and compost.
- Second, nutrients tend to leach out of soils with a pH below 5 more quickly than those with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.
- Third, clay soil in particular can become “sticky” and water and nutrient mobility will be impeded at a pH of less than 5.5.
If applications of fertilizer are used to visually cause your lawn to grow better or green up faster and no longer seems to be effective, this could be due to low pH or a need for lime.
The Soil Rapidly Becomes De-Mineralized
If your soil had a good pH noted in your records, and has become acidic in recent months or weeks, you are likely going to see a steady loss of minerals. These minerals include calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. A lack of these minerals can cause your lawn to look dull and yellow-green, or prevent it from recovering after it is cut.
Increased Weed Growth
Weeds tend to thrive on fewer nutrients and more acidic soils than lawn grass. If your lawn was able to out-compete weeds easily in the past but has recently seemed to be losing the battle, you may need to sweeten (lime) your soil.
Increased Overgrowth of Moss
Moss does best in acidic conditions. While most lawn grass types tend to thrive when they are planted in soil with a neutral pH, moss does best with a pH of about 5.5 to 6. If you have seen moss take over your lawn in the last few months or weeks, correcting the soil pH could help solve this problem as well.
The Grass is Spotty or Discolored
As mentioned above, a low soil pH can cause your lawn to rapidly lose nutrients. This can result in discolored or diseased grass.
The Roots of Your Grass are Shorter Than They Were
A lack of readily available nutrients caused by acidic soil can cause your grass to die back. It can also cause roots, no longer able to find or store the nutrients they need, to visibly shrink or waste away. This will make it easier to uproot sections of your lawn or may cause shifting after heavy rain.
Grass Doesn’t “Fill In” Evenly Across The Entire Yard
In addition to shorter roots, grass growth may halt altogether. This can be due to stunted growth due to acidity, lack of nutrients, or improper soil composition.
Water Pools Sooner (Water Uptake Is Significantly Reduced)
If your grass has become sickly due to a significant change in pH, it may stop absorbing or using as much water as it had been. This can show up as water pooling after a standard watering session or grass blades appearing thin and dehydrated just hours after watering your lawn.
You Have Sandy Soil
The last of the signs your lawn needs lime is “sandy soil.” Of all the soil types, extremely sandy soil has the hardest time keeping a steady, neutral pH and is the soil type that needs a pH test and correction with lime the most often, in my experience.
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