Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring being
around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked for a
quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And if so,
how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing the pH first?

Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread lime
evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back but have
not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much lime/sqft to
dump?

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several steps.
How much in one dose?

My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.

Rich

RichK wrote:
Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring being

A lot depends where you are located, type of soil, etc. Odds are, you
have a good resource from your state's Extension Service. Usually
affliated with a State University, they have a lot of good
publications, most of them online for free, that can answer your
questions on anything from cooking turkey to planting lawns.

Probaby do a google search with -- the name of your state, the words
"extension service" lawn lime -- and you will find something like the
following:

http://eesc.orst.edu/agcomwebfile/edmat/EC1278.pdf

Liming is only needed if PH is off, Im full of trees and I mulch the
leaves and dont need lime. But your real problem is shade and Maple
trees. Ive never seen a good lawn with maples, Most Maples have shallow
roots that compete and strangle everything nearby, even large plants and
trees. You are fighting a loosing battle depending on the type of Maple
you have if you want a good lawn. I had a Silver Maple grow in wild in
a area with a great lawn, every year the lawn got worse and kept dying,
even new seed did not help. What helped was cutting down the Maple.

RichK wrote:
Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring
being around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked
for a quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And
if so, how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing
the pH first?

It is easy to ask and if you buy there service, why would they care what
your pH is?


Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread
lime evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back
but have not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much
lime/sqft to dump?

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several
steps. How much in one dose?

This really depends on local soil conditions. I suggest you contact
your local county extension office (US). They will give you the best advice
based on local conditions and it is free. (note they may want you to have
your soil tested for a small fee.



My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.

Grass likes sun. The choice of grass the drainage of the soil and many
other factors come into play. Again the extension office is likely your
best source and they will likely want a soil test for this one.


Rich

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

m Ransley wrote:
Liming is only needed if PH is off, Im full of trees and I mulch the
leaves and dont need lime. But your real problem is shade and Maple
trees. Ive never seen a good lawn with maples, Most Maples have shallow
roots that compete and strangle everything nearby, even large plants and
trees. You are fighting a loosing battle depending on the type of Maple
you have if you want a good lawn. I had a Silver Maple grow in wild in
a area with a great lawn, every year the lawn got worse and kept dying,
even new seed did not help. What helped was cutting down the Maple.


I agree with all this. Test the soil, then you'll know if you need to
lime. Many times the bags of limestone will have info on how much is
needed to raise the PH, or you can find it with a web search. Usually,
you can put it down all at once, because limestone is slow to act and
won't burn the lawn. If it's pellitized, which is easier and less
messy, you can use either a broadcast or drop spreader. If it's the
powder form, then you need a drop spreader.

Maples tend to have surface roots that suck up moisture and nutrients
and can make it impossible to grow grass.

Also, I've lived in this house for 32
years and had never had a problem
with grubs until about 2 years ago. It
is all up and down my street. Some
lawns are almost totally wiped out. Of
course, what's worse, it the rodents
(skunk, possum, raccoon, etc.) dig up
the tasty morsels. So, you might
have to consider insect treatment.

Joseph Meehan wrote:
RichK wrote:

Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring
being around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked
for a quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And
if so, how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing
the pH first?


It is easy to ask and if you buy there service, why would they care what
your pH is?


Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread
lime evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back
but have not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much
lime/sqft to dump?

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several
steps. How much in one dose?


This really depends on local soil conditions. I suggest you contact
your local county extension office (US). They will give you the best advice
based on local conditions and it is free. (note they may want you to have
your soil tested for a small fee.



My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.


Grass likes sun. The choice of grass the drainage of the soil and many
other factors come into play. Again the extension office is likely your
best source and they will likely want a soil test for this one.


Rich

"m Ransley" wrote in message

Liming is only needed if PH is off, Im full of trees and I mulch the
leaves and dont need lime. But your real problem is shade and Maple
trees. Ive never seen a good lawn with maples, Most Maples have shallow
roots that compete and strangle everything nearby, even large plants and
trees.

I think a good part of the problem are the maples. The roots are almost at
the surface and in some area above. It was right in from of my face, but I
did not make the connection. At least one tree will have to go - shades the
naighbor and all I get is leaves in the gutter and roots above ground.

Also appreciate the comment from someone else, about slow absorption of
lime.

I did hit google before posting, but very quickly I found several
conflicting statements, along with some useful info.

I tired to find a local county extension office a couple of years ago for
similar matters, and they do not have a local presence. About 10 years ago
it still existed. Tried several garden clubs and preservation societies,
but got no help.

Finally bough a pH kit in a small hardware store.

Regards,

Rich

Art Todesco wrote:
Also, I've lived in this house for 32
years and had never had a problem
with grubs until about 2 years ago. It
is all up and down my street. Some
lawns are almost totally wiped out. Of
course, what's worse, it the rodents
(skunk, possum, raccoon, etc.) dig up
the tasty morsels. So, you might
have to consider insect treatment.

I would check with the extension office before beginning insect
treatment as well. However I would agree that it should be a consideration.
Of course there are various approaches.

I have always tried to follow a simple rule. Make my lawn a good place
for grass to grow and a poor place for weeds and harmful insects. I seldom
have the best lawn around. I have never had the worst. Generally it is one
of the best.

I avoid chemical insect control and use minimum fertilizer and only spot
weeding chemicals. I have few weeds and lots of insects, but few that are
harmful. The only insect control I use is for grubs and that is using
nematodes which I apply about every five years.

One thing I have noticed is that grubs tend to do the most damage to the
best lawns. Even without the nematodes when the grubs were really bad in
the neighborhood, my lawn only suffered little damage.

I would not say my methods are the best for everyone, it works for me,
but it might not work for me in another part of the world and it may not fit
your lifestyle or your personal needs. But I would suggest that the heavy
chemical controls often suggested by the companies selling those products is
seldom if ever the best solution.

A local county extension agent will usually offer good advice and a
non-labor intensive plan for a good lawn and will do so without a vested
interest in selling you something.


Joseph Meehan wrote:
RichK wrote:

Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring
being around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked
for a quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And
if so, how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing
the pH first?


It is easy to ask and if you buy there service, why would they
care what your pH is?


Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread
lime evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back
but have not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much
lime/sqft to dump?

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several
steps. How much in one dose?


This really depends on local soil conditions. I suggest you
contact your local county extension office (US). They will give you
the best advice based on local conditions and it is free. (note they
may want you to have your soil tested for a small fee.



My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.


Grass likes sun. The choice of grass the drainage of the soil
and many other factors come into play. Again the extension office
is likely your best source and they will likely want a soil test for
this one.

Rich

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:19:51 -0500, "RichK" wrote:

Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring being
around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked for a
quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And if so,
how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing the pH first?

If anyone suggests using lime without a test, then it's time to get
another person.

Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread lime
evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back but have
not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much lime/sqft to
dump?


To make any difference you need to add about 100 pounds of lime per
4,000 square feet of lawn. Do not lime if your pH is above 6.5. Wait
6 months, test, and repeat if necessary. It takes several months for
any significant changes to occur. Supposedly, you should wait at
least 2 weeks and at least two rainy days from liming to fertilizing.

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several steps.
How much in one dose?

My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.

Rich

RichK wrote:
Hi,

Would like to access some collective wisdom on lawn work. Spring being
around the corner.

Lots of places push "lime service", about now. I have not even asked for a
quote, but wonder...

Is it not the purpose of the lime to raise the pH of the soil? And if so,
how can someone suggest you lime your lawn, without testing the pH first?

Secondly, if I were to do it myself, what's the best way to spread lime
evenly and how much of it? I bought a pH tester kit, while back but have
not used it yet. Is there are chart to figure out how much lime/sqft to
dump?

I'm sure if the soil is very acidic, you may want to do it in several steps.
How much in one dose?

My grass is very poor, has not been maintained well and is in partial
shade - to full shade. Maple trees.

Rich

Soil tends to drop in pH, so lots of people just routinely lime the
soil. I've tried the home test kits, but not had much success. A local
ag school or extension station will do a better job, for free. In fact,
a free soil test from such a place will tell you why your lawn is
crummy, in general.
Things like pine needles acidify the soil more than maple leaves.
Also, note that the crushed limestone some people use will have no
effect on the soil during your lifetime. Either use powdered lime, or
the pelletized stuff that disintegrates into powder when it's wet.