When should the lawn be limed?

Who is a well-groomed race wishes, cannot avoid appropriate care. Liming the lawn in particular is a popular measure to achieve a lush green and healthy appearance. Mistakes can already be made when choosing the right lime and with the dosage. The right time is particularly crucial for good results. Do some research before liming.

Liming the lawn

For healthy, vigorous growth, lawns need certain soil conditions. This applies above all to the pH value, which is ideally between 5.5 and 6.0. External influences and increasing age of the soil can change it. If it falls or rises above the limit values, the lawn continuously loses the properties mentioned.

need

Lime finds useif the pH value falls / is below 5.5 (acidic range), because it has a value-increasing 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 soils. If the pH is above 6.0, limescale would damage the lawn. Mostly clover grows on it, if you see it, you should avoid giving it lime. However, visual signs alone should not be relied on. It is recommended to do one regularly

Soil test with which the pH value is to be determined.
The tests make sense and are available in every well-stocked garden and plant specialist or hardware store. They only cost a few euros.

tip: Those who do not trust themselves or do not trust the self-test can use a test set, in which the results are sent to an appropriate laboratory and professionally analyzed there will. Costs of around 30 euros are to be expected here.

Lime type

Lime is best 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 turf and also to regulate the magnesium balance. It contains calcium carbonate. Other carbonic acid products are available with this active ingredient, which are considered very safe to use and gentle on the lawn. The effect unfolds, depending on which pH value is present. 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 caustic properties and does not belong in inexperienced hands.

Amount of lime

When determining the amount of soda lime, you should always adhere to the dosage recommendations of the respective manufacturer, because the products can have different intensities. In addition, the quantity should be determined in adaptation to the soil conditions. The following information serves as a rough guideline / orientation 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 as the season. The former is generally preferable to the autumn liming, because moss can have formed due to the wintry moisture and the lawn receives an optimal basis for the gardening season. Before the growing season begins in spring, the lawn benefits most from the addition of lime. The end of March / beginning of April is a good time.
Autumn is only recommended if the lawn liming has been forgotten in spring. The pH value can then still be optimized, but a real regeneration of the lawn may no longer be possible before the onset of winter. If there is an early frost, the effect is limited and usually completely disappears until after the frost. Therefore: spring is the ideal time for liming - autumn only when lime is required.

humidity

Soils should not be limed after rain, as there is a risk that the granules will clump together and then dissolve more poorly. In addition, walking on wet lawns can damage the sward and provoke unsightly bald spots. It is ideal when liming is carried out on dry ground and it then rains. Once the lawn lime has been applied, it dissolves well when it rains and penetrates the soil more quickly. Wind can then no longer carry him away. A look at the weather forecast is therefore advisable. Alternatively, the limed lawn can also be blasted.

Time of day

When during the day it is limed primarily depends on the weather conditions. It should be noted here that liming should not be carried out in direct sunlight, as there is a risk of burns. A cloudy sky is good for this lawn maintenance, but during the day there is a risk of the sun coming through unpredictably. Therefore, it is better to use the evening hours for the lime measure.

Liming the lawn: preparation

Liming before fertilizing

The fertilizing season begins in spring, when the optimal time for liming has come. Simultaneous administration is not recommended. The lime should always be made before fertilization, because this ensures that the fertilizer can achieve maximum effect. There is an interval of between four and six weeks between liming the lawn and fertilizing must be adhered to so that the lime has enough time to optimally prepare the soil for the subsequent fertilization prepare.

Scarify first

Before starting with the lawn limestone, the area should be scarified beforehand. The purpose of this is to loosen up and ventilate the lawn so that the lawn lime can better develop its effect. It should be noted that loosened felt, moss and lawn particles are well collected from the surface so that access to the soil is not made difficult or impossible for the lime. You should not wait long to apply the lime after scarifying. With the next downpour, the soil surface can condense again and scarifying is no longer useful.

Other important details

• It is best to use a spreader to apply the lime evenly
• Use gloves when pouring the lime
• Do not step on the lawn after liming and let it "rest" for four weeks
• If possible, keep dogs and cats away from limed lawns
• 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 liming is too expensive for you or if 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.