Lawn Care

Rob

Rob

Administrator
Administrator
Joined
Mar 11, 2005
Location
Sanford, NC
What does lime do to grass and why do I need to put it down before seeding? I'm just adding grass seed to help what's already there (centepede grass) and seeding a spot that used to be a flower bed.
 
Gives the soil a better ph level boosting root structure. It also helps it green quicker when fertlizer is used. Also plug NOT spike beforehand to get the lime, fert, seed deep where it can be covered by dirt and grass clippings and will sprout before Oct to ensure root survival during winter.

I have a 1 acre lot about 3/4 in grass. I put down 300-400 lbs EVERY fall and spring and have been for 5 years. You can NEVER overlime a yard just dont leave clumps of it. Instead of just regular 10-10-10 fertlizer use Scotts w/ weed control in the spring and Winterizer but NOT during seeding and reseeding. It isnt cheap $35 a bag and I use 3-4 on my yard, but damn does it look great w/ NO weeds.

Dad owned a home and garden store for 35 years so I kinda need a good lookin yard
 
just remember if you want to cut grass ant least 3 times a week add a lot of nitro that shit will make it so you can watch the gass grow did this my self and untill it was gone I had to cut it 3 times a week for about a month and it sucked
 
I use the scotts every spring, it does a great job. As far as plugging, my front yard is pretty steep, I don't think I can plug it, those things are heavy IIRC.

Thanks for the tip, how soon before reseeding do I need to lay the lime down?
 
Rob said:
I use the scotts every spring, it does a great job. As far as plugging, my front yard is pretty steep, I don't think I can plug it, those things are heavy IIRC.

Thanks for the tip, how soon before reseeding do I need to lay the lime down?
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I've been told to give it a week or 2 for the lime to set in before reseeding.
 
Be careful with the lime, I got some on my small azilia bushes and after 3 year of recovering they finally bloomed again :) Last year i had great luck with just waiting till it cooled down and then scratching the ground with a metal rake and spreading the seed around...
 
Azilia bushes don't like lime but grass loves it. Helps it turn nice and green. Weed and feed is the way to go in fall and spring. I worked for a pro landscaper for 4 years and still help him out from time to time. We always plug yards before reseeding with a walk behind pluger.

Sam(slim)
 
Is it that time already? When am I supposed to lime and fertilize? I also have a few spot that need overseeding myself. Sorry we never had an Ag class or FFA in my high school.
 
Hey Rob,

Like it was said, azallias are acid (ie likes low pH) loving evergreens. Lime raises the pH. Most evergreen plants are acid loving in general. Lime is good for the grass especially if you have a lot of trees. The powder stuff is cheap but messy and can clump. I like the pellets, slow release, easier to broadcast-spread without that Linus-like cloud of dust behind.

I know someone who put Centipede down like 2 or 3 times. Good results...finally. Centipede = big $, need to cut it with sand cause the seeds are real small. Seriously you may have missed your window for Centipede because I think it needs 1-2 weeks of 95+ heat to even germinate.

My lawn is green. Thats about all I can say. The PO put whatever was cheap, I think. The fesque burned out so if it was not for the bermuda and crabgrass, it would be brown. I don't water it.

Eric
 
Eric, I'm not sure if I have centepede grass or bermuda. We used bermuda all the time back home, and it looks similar. Hell I don't know gardening.
 
Lime does nothing to the grass, it raises the Ph of the soil therefore aidiing the soil in it's ability to accept and delver nutrients to the plants that inhabit it.
Blindly adding lime every year is as wrong as not using it at all. If you have never added lime then you can generously add about 40 lbs. per 100 square feet of lawn, any more and you are wasting time and money as the soil can only process about that amount at one time.
Go to a farm and garden store and get a NC soil Ph test kit. Follow the instructions and send it off to Raliegh (NC Dept of Ag.). It is free and will give you a complete analysis of your soil.
 
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