Lime for your lawn: when and how much to apply

If your lawn is not responding to fertilizer, the problem might be pH. When soil is too acidic (below 6.0), nutrients get locked up and grass roots cannot absorb them — no matter how much you apply. Lime raises the pH and unlocks those nutrients.

How to know if you need lime

The only way to know is a soil test. Do not apply lime based on guessing or because a neighbor recommended it. If your test shows pH below 6.0, you need lime. If pH is 6.0-7.0, you do not. Applying lime to soil that does not need it can cause problems.

How much to apply

A general guideline: 50 pounds of pelletized lime per 1,000 square feet raises pH by about 0.5 points in most soils. If your pH is 5.5 and you need to reach 6.5, you need about 100 pounds per 1,000 sq ft. Your soil test report should give a specific recommendation — follow it.

If you need more than 50 pounds per 1,000 sq ft, split it into two applications 3-4 months apart. Applying too much at once can shock the soil.

When to apply

Fall is the best time — lime works slowly and applying in September or October gives it all winter to react with the soil. Spring is the second-best option. You can apply lime at the same time as overseeding and fertilizing. It does not interfere with either.

Pelletized vs powdered

Use pelletized lime. It spreads evenly with a broadcast spreader and does not create dust clouds. Powdered lime works faster but is messy and hard to apply evenly. The few weeks of speed difference is not worth the hassle.

Grasslytics reads your soil test and tells you exactly how much lime to apply based on your current pH, target pH, and soil type.