Follow the specific testing guidelines on the product that you purchase.
Finding a soil testing lab near you may be a little difficult, but many labs allow you to send your sample in through the mail and they will send a report back. Both the University of Tennessee Extension and the University of Massachusetts take samples by mail, so a good option may be to contact a university near you and find out if they do soil testing. This process can take a week or so to complete.
Lime comes mainly in pellets or powder, and is categorized as calcitic or dolomitic. Dolomitic is typically best for lawn care because it is rich both in Calcium and Magnesium, prime nutrients for a healthy yard.
The choice of which kind is essentially up to you, but you may ask a few people you know, or an employee at the store, to see if they have a suggestion. If you have a large yard, the rotary spreader is probably the better choice since it covers more area. If you have a small yard and want a more precise spread, the drop spreader is probably best for you.
Keep your kids away from the yard when you are spreading the lime, and off of the yard for a couple days while the lime sets. While lime has not been found to cause illness or death, it can often irritate the skin, so best to be cautious. Lime has also not been found to be toxic to animals, but it is best to keep pets off of the yard for a couple days, as well.
This is best achieved by a motor-powered rototiller, but you could also use a hand tiller or shovel to turn over the soil throughout the yard.
If you start to run low on lime in the basin, don’t shake it. Simply leave the spreader where you are and go get more lime to refill it. Be sure to use the half-rate setting, since you will make double coverage of the yard. If there is not specifically a half rate, it’s best to go with something lower than half.
You don’t want to overdo it with lime, so only make two passes over the lawn. If you have followed the instructions on the lime and on the spreader, you should have the right amount. People tend to say that there isn’t a good way to correct if you put too much in one spot, so you just have to let the lime set over time and it will balance out.
Keep in mind that it does take about six months for the soil to really change pH, so your second test may not show up too differently. Balancing your yard’s pH completely could take 2 years.
