How much lime your lawn needs, in pounds and in bags, without a soil test. Tell it your lawn size, your soil, and what the lawn is doing, and it works out a rate that will be about right for most lawns.
About this tool: how much lime does a lawn need?Your Lawn
Results
Raises soil pH, nothing else. Grass wants 6.0 to 7.0. If your pH is fine, lime can only hurt.
Rain leaches out calcium and magnesium, and nitrogen fertilizer acidifies directly. Pine needles are largely innocent.
Depends how far pH must move and how hard your soil resists. To raise it one full point:
| Soil type | Lime per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Sandy / light | 25 to 35 lb |
| Sandy loam | 40 to 50 lb |
| Loam (typical topsoil) | 55 to 70 lb |
| Clay loam | 70 to 80 lb |
| Heavy clay | 85 to 100 lb |
Extension mid-ranges (Penn State, NC State, UMass). Never more than 50 lb at once; the calculator splits anything larger into passes six months apart.
This estimates your starting pH from what the lawn is showing. A lab measures reserve acidity, which sets the real requirement and is invisible from the surface. Tests are $15 to $20 through county extension. Under-liming costs a second pass; over-liming costs a year.
It wants 5.0 to 6.0 and declines at the 6.5 that suits fescue. Soil test first.
The only number that changes how much you need. This tool assumes 95% calcitic, 105% dolomitic; scale by 95 divided by your bag's figure.
| Product | Typical CCE | Effect on the amount |
|---|---|---|
| Calcitic limestone (pelletized or pulverized) | 85 to 100% | Baseline |
| Dolomitic limestone | 95 to 109% | About 10% less by weight |
Two passes at right angles, half rate each, then water in. Keep two weeks clear of fertilizer. Autumn is best; three to six months before pH moves.