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If you want a well-groomed lawn, you cannot avoid proper care. Above all, liming the lawn is a popular measure to achieve a lush green and healthy appearance. Mistakes can already be made when selecting the right lime and when dosing it. The right time is particularly important for good results. Find out before you lime.
lime the lawn
Lawns require certain soil conditions for healthy, vigorous growth. This applies above all to the pH value, which is ideally between 5.5 and 6.0. This can change as a result of external influences and increasing age of the floor. If it falls or rises above the limit values, the lawn continuously loses the properties mentioned.
need
Lime is used when the pH falls/is below 5.5 (acid range) because it has a value-enhancing effect and regulates too much soil acidity. A clear sign of a pH value that is too low is the formation of moss, which only forms on acidic soil. If the pH is above 6.0, lime would damage the lawn. Usually clover grows on it, and if you see it, do not apply lime. However, visual signs alone should not be relied upon. It is advisable to regularly carry out a soil test to determine the pH value.
The tests are therefore useful and available in any well-stocked garden and plant shop or hardware store. They only cost a few euros.
tip: If you don't trust yourself or don't trust the self-test, you can use a test set in which the results are sent to an appropriate laboratory and professionally analyzed there. Expect to pay around 30 euros here.
Lime type
Lime is mainly known from the construction industry. This is not a product suitable for lawns and should therefore not be used under any circumstances. Special lawn lime is available from specialist retailers. So-called dolomite lime is a natural lime that can be used to increase the acidity in the lawn and also to regulate the magnesium balance. It contains calcium carbonate. Other carbonic acid products are available with this active ingredient, which are considered to be very safe to use and gentle on the lawn. The effect unfolds depending on the pH value. The higher the pH value, the less the calcium carbonate dissolves - the effect is correspondingly higher or lower. In this way, over-liming is hardly possible. Quicklime, on the other hand, has corrosive properties and does not belong in inexperienced hands.
amount of lime
Basically, when determining the amount of lawn lime, you should stick to the dosage recommendations of the respective manufacturer, because the products can have different intensities. In addition, the quantity should be determined in accordance with the soil conditions. The following information serves as a rough guideline/aid:
- Light and sandy soils: between 100 and 200 grams per square meter
- Medium-heavy sandy to loamy soils: between 300 and 400 grams per square meter
- Heavy soils with loam or clay: 400 to 450 grams per square meter
The right moment
season
Spring and autumn are suitable seasons. The former is generally preferable to autumn liming because moss can have formed due to the winter moisture and the lawn has an optimal basis for the gardening season. Before the vegetation period begins in spring, the lawn benefits most from the application of lime. Late March/early April is a good time.
Autumn is only recommended if you forgot to lime the lawn in spring. The pH value can then still be optimized, but real regeneration of the lawn may no longer be possible before the onset of winter. If frost surprises you early, the effect is limited and usually completely gone until after the frost. Therefore: spring is the ideal time for liming - autumn only when liming is required.
humidity
Floors should not be whitewashed after rain, as there is a risk that the granules will clump together and consequently dissolve more poorly. In addition, when walking on wet lawns, the turf can be damaged and unsightly bald spots provoked. It is ideal if lime is applied to dry soil and then it rains. Once the lawn lime has been applied, it dissolves well in the rain and penetrates the soil more quickly. The wind can no longer carry it away. A look at the weather forecast is therefore advisable. Alternatively, the limed lawn can also be blasted.
time of day
When lime is applied during the day depends primarily on the weather conditions. It should be noted here that lime should not be applied in direct sunlight, as there is a risk of burns. A cloudy sky lends itself well to this lawn care, but during the day there is a risk that the sun will come through unpredictably. It is therefore better to use the evening hours for the lime measure.
Liming the lawn: preparation
Lime before fertilizing
The fertilizing season begins in spring, when the ideal time for liming has arrived. Simultaneous administration is not recommended. Lime should always be applied before fertilization because this ensures that the fertilizer can achieve maximum effect. A time interval of between four and six weeks should be observed between liming the lawn and fertilizing, so that the lime has enough time to optimally prepare the soil for the following fertilizing.
Scarify first
Before you start with the lawn lime, the area should first be scarified. The purpose of this is to loosen up and aerate the lawn so that the lawn lime can develop its effect better. It should be noted here that loosened felt, moss and grass particles are collected well from the surface so that the lime does not make it difficult or impossible to access the ground. You should not wait long after scarifying before applying lime. With the next downpour, the soil surface can compact again and scarifying becomes meaningless.
Other important details
- The best way to apply the lime evenly is to use a spreader
- Use gloves when pouring in the lime
- Do not walk on the lawn after liming and let it "rest" for four weeks
- Keep dogs and cats away from limed lawns if possible
- After the application of lime, it is usually not necessary to lime the lawn again for the next two to three years
tip: If the lawn lime is too time-consuming or you want to make it easier, you can spread a two centimeter thick layer of sand on the ground and level it. This leads to a loosening of the soil and usually saves liming for significantly more years.