Your lawn has a brown patch – or multiple patches. You’ve tried giving it extra water. You’ve tried fertilizer. You’ve even tried fungicide. Nothing seems to be working. The brown spots remain. Does this sound familiar? If so, it might not be a result of poor lawn maintenance or bacterial disease. It could actually be a problem with the soil. When soil becomes too acidic, your grass can’t absorb the fertilizer you throw down. Seeing persistent brown patches can certainly leave you feeling frustrated. Thankfully, Sea of Green lawn Care has the solution: a lime application.
How To Rescue Your Lawn With A Lime Application
Fix The pH Level
When soil becomes too acidic, it prevents your turfgrass from properly absorbing nutrients. Ideally, you want the pH level of your soil to be in the neutral zone. Otherwise, no matter how much fertilizer you distribute, your lawn won’t be able to absorb it. Basically, you are literally throwing away money. Lime applications correct this. No, not the tropical fruit. We are talking about the mineral. Typically, the lime you’ll find is dolomite. Lime breaks down naturally over time, and as it does, this raises the level of calcium. Calcium replaces the acidic particles in your lawn. Typically, the acidic culprits are hydrogen and potassium. As the acidic particles are neutralized into water, carbon dioxide, and clay, they will help support healthy turfgrass development.
Why Does The pH Level Of Your Soil Change
Many things can affect the pH level of your soil. One of the most common things is ordinary rain. As the rain passes through the soil into the water table, it can dilute the amount of calcium in your soil. As the soil loses calcium, the pH level drops, and boom – now your soil is too acidic to support healthy turfgrass development. Maintaining a good lawn care routine can also naturally lower the pH. Fertilizer contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Depending on which ratio you use, you may inadvertently raise the acidity level of your soil pH. Now, that’s not to say you shouldn’t fertilize ever. But you may want to leave it to a lawn care treatment program. Sea of Green can help you decide which fertilizers to use, for instance.
If it turns out that your lawn’s pH scale is the problem, don’t beat yourself up. This is a common occurrence, and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad gardener. One thing you can do to be sure that acidity is the problem is an at-home soil test. This will give you the readout of the pH level, as well as alert you to any contaminants in your lawn – an excellent thing to know if you plan on growing fruits or vegetables!
How To Tell If Your Lawn Needs A Lime Application
Aside from getting a soil test, which will let you know for sure, other symptoms may indicate a nutrient imbalance.
- Weak growth – As mentioned previously, when soil is too acidic, your grass can’t absorb minerals properly. When this happens, your grass is basically starving.
- Moss growth – Your turfgrass may not like acidic soil, but mosses sure do.
- Diseases – When turfgrass is weakened, it can’t defend itself against diseases.
- Insect problems – Bugs are attracted to dead or dying plants.
- Weeds – Without competition from your turfgrass, the broadleaf weeds in your lawn will thrive
- Fertilizer doesn’t respond – If you’ve tried applying fertilizer to no avail, it could be the result of overly acidic soil.
- Faded coloring – healthy, vibrant grass should be dark green. If not, it’s a sign that something is out of whack, and it could be the pH level.
The Best Time To Lime Is Now
The ideal time to lime your lawn is right now. Doing so will give the lime time to balance the acidic soil before next spring. Liming in summer is actually the worst time. High heat can negatively affect the chemical process and cause the pH levels in your soil to become even more imbalanced. You should also refrain from adding a lime application to your lawn if there’s a chance of below-freezing temperatures in the near future. Freezing will halt the process, and the moisture could dilute the lime, rendering it less effective. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to ask your lawn care service technician! As a full-service lawn care company, Sea of Green can add a lime treatment as part of your regular lawn care program or as a stand-alone treatment for lawns in need of rescue.
Restore Your Lawn With A Lime Application From Sea Of Green Lawn Care
Fertilizing a lawn that is too acidic is a waste of money. You are literally throwing your money away. Sea of Green Lawn Care can fix the problem with a lime application. This common service brings your soil’s pH level back to the neutral end of the scale. We offer lawn care services near West Newbury, MA. If you’d like to learn more or schedule an appointment, give us a call at 978-465-8788 or leave us a message online. And don’t forget to check out our blog page for more articles on lawn care and pest control. You can also follow us on Facebook to see photos of our work and learn about the latest deals and offerings.