What does lime do for a lawn? When applied at the right time, lime can have a big impact on the look, feel and health of your grass. Lawns struggle to grow and thrive in soil with a low pH. Not only will it lack the lush, deeply-green look you’re after, but you’ll find you have more weeds and fungus taking over your lawn. Even the impact of bugs will be greater, because your grass won’t have the ability to heal as quickly or completely from damage.
Just look at the ways applying lime will help your lawn.
Applying lime lowers acidity levels.
Georgia soil is high in clay content, and unfortunately this means it also has low pH/high acidity. All things considered, homeowners here have a tougher time creating that sought after lush lawn look. Aerating, fertilizing and overseeding won’t help if the problem boils down to your law’s pH balance. Adding lime will increase the pH and improve your yard’s alkaline properties, immediately leading to healthier grass.
Adding lime improves nutrient absorption.
Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, but high acidity levels can interfere with the process. This is the reason it’s so important to test the ground’s pH levels before you add fertilizer. Your efforts will be wasted if acidity is too high.
Lime applications can clean toxicities from the soil.
High acidity leads to the buildup of aluminum and manganese in the soil. Each affect your grass in different ways. While your grass is incapable of absorbing nutrients, too much aluminum can prevent root systems from growing. It can even kill them off. So, it should be a main suspect if your lawn is starting to die off and no diseases are at play. An excess of magnesium, on the other hand, leads to stunted growth and discoloration. Adding lime to the soil improves the grasses ability to absorb these and other elements, allowing them to better process toxins and leading to healthier overall growth.
Lime improves the overall feel and look of your lawn.
If you have your lawn tested, the results should include recommendations for how much lime to add to your lawn. However, you can expedite the process by adding about 75 percent of the recommended lime in a fast-acting fine-particle variety. Your end-goal is a pH rating of 6 or 7, a bit lower for Bermuda-type grasses. Several years after liming your lawn, you may discover the pH has been permanently adjusted, and applications are no longer necessary. Just make sure you continue to test your lawn from season to season.
If you are wondering what does lime do for a lawn, it’s time to find out the benefits for yourself by contacting the experts at Think Green Lawn Care. You can reach us by phone at (678) 648-2556 to schedule this essential service today.
