The different lawn care services that your lawn may need at different times of the year can be confusing. One particular service that we tend to get a lot of questions about is limestone treatments. Homeowners will ask us, Does my lawn need lime?
The short answer is, yes. The lawns here in Memphis, TN and Northern MS require lime as a result of our soil conditions.
But we’ll explain in a bit more detail why this is important as well as what the service is all about. After all, we understand it can be frustrating not to understand what your lawn needs (or doesn’t need) to perform its best. It’s always been our goal to help educate and guide our clients so that they can make the wisest decisions for their lawn.
Limestone (or “lime,” which is just short for limestone and can be used interchangeably) is a soil amendment that is made from ground limestock rock. Both calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are naturally found in limestock rock and when added to the soil, these compounds help to increase soil pH.
Here in Memphis, TN and the Northern MS area, our soil is known for struggling with acidity. That means that the soil pH tends to run on the lower side. This is a problem because it impacts the lawn’s color and vigor. It’s also important to know that certain weeds thrive in a low soil pH. This means that instead of promoting a healthy lawn, you could create an environment that is perfect for weeds to thrive.
It all boils down to the fact that if you don’t take steps to adjust your soil pH, you can end up with a less-than-stellar-lawn That’s why we include a limestone application with magnesium and calcium, in all of our lawn care packages.
As we mentioned, the value of limestone lies in its ability to neutralize soil acidity and ultimately raise soil pH.
At Master Lawn, we will apply limestone with magnesium and calcium in the late fall or early winter. This will give your lawn time to start breaking down these materials and raising the soil pH, prior to the spring season.
This is a time period when the lawn is “least disturbed” so those materials can have ample time to work their magic while being left undisturbed!
At this same time, we also perform other winter lawn care tasks, including an important last round of fertilizer, which will help your lawn “green up” even better come spring. If you’re someone who values having a great-looking lawn, then you want to be sure you aren’t leaving out any services your lawn may need.
If you’ve been wondering, does my lawn need lime? you might also be curious if you need a soil test to determine the specifics.
A soil test is not a necessity for our application of lime. We determine the ideal maintenance rate of limestone based on the soil types in our area.
That being said, while a soil test is not a necessity, it is something that we recommend homeowners consider—not so much for the pH level (although it will measure this, too)—but more so to find out the specifics about your lawn’s micronutrients levels. This can be incredibly helpful information in terms of promoting optimal health.
A soil test is quite valuable in its ability to determine your lawn’s amount of phosphorus, potassium, and other nutrients in order to determine if they are where they need to be for your lawn’s best health and performance.
By having a soil test performed, we’re able to tailor our fertilizer program to meet the needs of your specific test results.
At the end of the day, your question of “Does my lawn need lime?” really boils down to wanting to know that your lawn is getting everything it needs and at the right time. After all, the timing of lawn care services matters as much as what services you’re having performed.
That’s why it’s so important to choose a lawn care company in Memphis, TN or Northern MS that understands everything that your lawn needs to thrive. After all, you have better things to do than to constantly be worrying about whether your lawn is getting what it needs. You just want to be able to feel confident it’s in good hands.
That’s the value of partnering with a lawn care company that can instill confidence that your lawn is being fully taken care of, year-round. That includes limestone in the late fall/early winter. But it includes a host of other services, too. All of these services work in tandem to ensure that you’re getting amazing results.
At Master Lawn, if your wish is to have a great-looking and worry-free lawn, then we’re ready to make that our command.
If you’re ready to choose a lawn care company that takes your worries away, then let us help you. Talk to a lawn care expert, choose from 3 program options, and become the master of your lawn.
Image Source: Soil pH Meter
