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Liming is everything, they love to say in lawn care. Always lime your soil in spring. Grass won't grow in acid soil. Raise the pH. Lime, lime, lime all the time.

It's true that some soils improve when you put down lime in the spring. But not all soil needs it. In fact, putting lime can actually be a big mistake. That capricious twist of lime might be all it takes to set off an Iron, Manganese or Zinc shortage in your soil, according to turfgrass experts coast to coast. Never ask "When?" before you ask "If?" you should lime your lawn.

The non-profit Turfgrass Producers Int'l points out that most lawns perform best with a soil pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.0 - slightly acid. Contrary to popular belief, most grass prefers soil on the acid side - NOT alkaline.

The Northeast's most popular turfgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, prefers a pH of 5.8-6.5. Check the charts: Most lawns are quite content in solidly acid soil, below the neutral 7.0 pH. Zoysia likes its soil pH around 5.5. Warm Season Carpetgrass likes a spicy 5.0 pH. Not a single turfgrass thrives ONLY in alkaline soil - pH levels higher than 7.0. Many merely languish in it, because soil pH determines nutrient availability. And too much lime actually traps plant nutrients, keeping them out of reach of your lawn. Your grass turns yellow when you over-lime your soil.

How do you know it's time to add lime to the soil?

Back in the old days, farmers would taste it. Soil that tasted like Vinegar was "sour". Only then did a farmer know it was right to lime. "Sweet" soil needed no lime.

Today, you can order a soil test and have a complete analysis, pH included, from your local Cooperative Extension. Or you can pick up a quick soil testing kit at your neighborhood garden center. New construction is almost always surrounded by soil with chunks of cement, which raises pH and may not need lime. Soil with pine needles and evergreens dotting the natural landscape is almost certainly acidic, and needs a good dose of lime.

Still, Experts caution against lime unless the pH is 5.4 or lower. Think your soil is acid?

It's still not lime-time for certain. Test it to be sure.

A final word of warning: If you do need to raise the pH, be patient. It takes years for lime to work. This element does not move itself through soil. Established lawns need annual spring surface treatments.

Sweet? Sour? Taste it or test it but make sure you need it first, or you may do more harm than good.

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