Lime for Lawns

How to check the pH of your lawn

Lime for Lawns is important and there is a proper way to add lime to your St. Augustine Grass.

Correction of low soil pH with lime is a major concern to all who grow plants, from the commercial producer to the home gardener. The reason for liming an acidic soil is to improve the performance of the plants being cultivated. Soil acidity affects the plants root environment, which ultimately affects plant growth and performance. Most plants grow better in slightly acidic soil than in strongly acidic soil. When a soil is too acidic for proper plant growth, lime may be applied to reduce the acidity. The proper pH level also helps with the uptake of the fertilizer applied to the lawn.

Lime for Lawns and pH Levels

St. Augustine grass, which comprises most of the lawns in our area, grows best in a soil with a pH level of 6.0-7.5. In this part of the state our soil is sandy and mostly acidic with lower pH values. Lime application can raise the pH level. Since it takes several months for the lime to completely react in the soil, we offer this additional service during our November lawn applications.

Peninsular’s Lime Program

Our Annual Lime Application helps adjust the pH of the soil which maximizes usage of nutrients within the grass plants. We use a Calcium based product which releases within 2-3 weeks. Most people are familiar with Dolomite Lime from local hardware stores which takes 3 or more months to notice results in the pH. Calcium is needed to build stronger cell walls in the turf.

Peninsular also offers Lawn Aeration services which will reduce soil compaction and improve the overall health of your lawn.