PUBLISHED FIVE TIMES YEARLY FOR LAWNTHUSIASTS MANY LAWNS NEED LIME It has long been obvious that many lawn soils are too strongly acid for best grass growth. A tabulation of results of Scotts Soil Testing Service over the past five years confirms this observation. As the map on page 3 indicates, this overly acid soil condition exists particularly in the eastern half of the country. Soils are said to be "neutral" One of the interesting observations in soil testing is that soil type or tex- ture provides no clue to whether that soil is acid or neutral. Sands, clays, loams, or any other soil type may be too strongly acid for good turf growth. in reaction if they test pH 7.0. Above seven, alkalinity is indicated; below that acidity. The accurate determination of pH in a soil laboratory. Indications of Acidity is made electronically If a lawn soil tests pH 6.0 or above, acidity is usually not considered a prob- lem; if the pH is lower, lime may be needed. Here are some of the indica- tions of possible in lawn soils: lime deficiencies (a) Failure of grass to respond to fertilizer applications (b) Seeming lack of response to watering (c) Lack of color or vigor when growing conditions seem good Some have the idea that moss indi- cates an acid or what they call a "sour" soil. Almost any poor lawn or soil can be described as "sour" because the adjec- tive has many meanings. However, the presence of moss may or may not indi- cate a need for lime. It may appear because of lack of fertility or in a com- pacted, poorly drained soil. Soggy soils encourage moss, especially in the shade. MR-627 An overly acid condition may be cor- rected by the use of lime. A secondary benefit of lime is that it supplies the minor elements of calcium and mag- nesium, lacking in some soils. How- ever, lime does not eliminate the need for regular use of fertilizer. Benefits of Liming favorable Lime helps make for soil conditions more the growth of friendly bacteria which are needed to liberate plant food and help break down organic matter into humus. This latter feature is important in proper decay of the year-to-year accumulation of the dead grass roots near the soil sur- face. If lime is worked into the soil it may the movement of air and water through it. None of these will show up as im- mediate responses to liming. Instead it may be several months before any improvement is indicated. Soil or Surface texture and aid improve Acidity is best reduced when the lime is intimately mixed into the effec- tive root zone of the soil, that is the upper six inches. Turning lime under is not advised because that buries it too deeply. Instead the soils should be plowed or spaded, the lime broadcast, then mixed in by cultivation. Where a lawn is established the only choice is surface application. The dis- advantage is that lime moves down- ward rather slowly, especially in clay soils. In spite of that, many cases of marked lawn improvement are trace- able to surface applications of lime, so they are recommended unless the lawn is torn up and rebuilt. Timing The preferred time to lime estab- lished lawns is late fall, winter or very early spring. Alternate freezing and thawing opens cracks in the soil to permit greater penetration of the lime. second choice. Some cracking of the soil may occur during dry weather to aid in penetration of the lime. Mid-summer is probably Actually lime may be used most any time. If applied during the growing season, there should be a delay of at least two weeks before sowing seed or applying if there has been an intervening heavy rain or watering. fertilizer and then only There is increased interest in the use of various tools to perforate the soil surface. If perforation is done before or after liming, it will aid penetration of the lime. Forms of Lime Either (1) Raw Pulverized Lime- stone or (2) Hydrated Lime is suitable for lawn use. "Quick" lime or oxide of lime is to be avoided because it is highly caustic. In contrast neither Hydrated Lime or Raw Pulverized Limestone is supposed to be caustic to the skin. However, any who are susceptible to dermatitis should avoid skin contact with lime, especially in presence of perspiration and friction as between the foot and shoe. Hydrated Lime is the quicker-acting form for mixing into the soil but it has little advan- tage in surface applications. Raw Limestone is probably better for established lawns. The finely ground grade is faster in neutralizing action than the coarser but it does not flow as readily through the spreader. Either Hydrated or Raw Pulverized Lime is available in 50 pound bags at hardware, seed or builders' supply stores. The cost is low, usually less than two cents a pound. A SPREADER SERVICING service bulletin on Scotts Spreaders is available without charge. This carries instructions for overhaul, gives prices on repair parts. To get a copy just drop a postcard to Scotts, Marysville, Ohio, asking for the Spreader Service Bulletin. Rates For the purpose of this article the following will be considered NORMAL RATE applica- tion of lime to lawns: 50 lbs Raw Pulverized Limestone or 35 lbs. Hydrated Lime per 1000 sq. ft. ( 2 0 x 50 ft.) Stated on a per acre basis: 2000 lbs. Raw or 1400 lbs. Hydrated Lime. It is best to have a soil test made to deter- mine lime need. In the absence of this and if lime has not been used in the recent history of the lawn, the following chart may be used as a guide as related to the map on page 3 indicating areas of lime need. Lime Probably Needed—If is to be worked into the soil, use up to twice Nor- mal Rate. If a surface application to estab- lished than Normal Rate. to Normal Rate every second year. Lime Possibly Needed—Use at half or Nor- mal rate. If favorable response is noted, repeat in a year or two. Surface applications of lime should be lim- ited to Normal Rates and not repeated in less than six months. How to Apply lawns, use no more In either case, repeat at half lime Probably most lime is scattered by hand or with a shovel. The disadvantage is that such application is bound to be uneven. And results will be, too, since there is little lateral move- ment of the lime. An excess on some spots will not help nearby areas that receive none. The mechanical spreader is not the perfect answer either because some forms of lime are so fine they pack in the hopper so the flow is scant and uneven. Dry sand mixed with lime will insure better spreading or it may be possible to find a "gritty" form of lime in contrast to the usual "floury" texture. In using a spreader to apply the finer grades of lime, it may be necessary to arrange for extra agitation to prevent the lime from clogging the feed holes. One way is to install wood cleats cross- wise on the tires. These should be as long as the tire tread is wide and *4 inch thick, % inch wide. Six cleats will be needed on each wheel. They may be affixed to the tire by using good quality black friction tape, the kind electricians use. Lay out the tape, stick cleats at proper intervals, then wrap around the perimeter of the wheel. Use at least three extra winds of tape to provide extra strength. The tire should be cleaned first with gaso- line or cleaning fluid as otherwise the tape won't stick. LIME LINE adapted Map from data in USDA Farm- ers' Bulletin No. 1845 Note "Lime Line" dividing the country about in half. Lime seldom needed to the west of this line. Many sections to the east need lime, others do not. Here is a general guide according to the map shadings, subject to local variations. A. DARK GRAY Regular applications of lime probably needed unless sprink- ling water is high in lime (hard). Soils in this area are usually of non-calcareous origin, viz: sandstone, shale, quartz, granite, peat, muck, woods earth. Soils are typically limestone or marble derivation. Not likely to need if watered regularly with "hard" water. Doubtful in these sections, unless woods earth, peat or muck added in large amounts. lime ever needed on lime, especially lawns if Probably B. CROSS HATCH Possibly C. WHITE AREAS Doubtful Extra agitation may not be necessary on rough, frozen ground. In either hand or machine distribution is advisable to apply the lime in at least two directions, crosswise to each other for better uniformity. Since the texture of lime varies with brands, it is not pos- sible to prescribe spreader settings. it It is that important lime be kept away from acid-loving shrubs and flow- ers, particularly ever- greens. The danger of lime washing from hillsides should be considered. broad-leaved Too much lime is not good for grass either because it may lock up certain fertilizing elements and unduly encour- age alkaline loving plants. The overuse of lime is to be avoided. SIRS: Last fall I used my Scotts Spreader to put lime on my lawn and found it worked better than any other method I have tried. I made it about half full because lime does not flow so well if there is too much in the hopper. I set the Spreader wide open and used a sort of rhythmic tapping of the handle bar for extra agitation. Going over twice gave me about 30 the rate I wanted, evenly distributed. lbs per 1000 sq. ft., Flushing, N. Y. ALLAN DIXON. SPRING L A WN CARE Longtime readers of LAWN CARE will remember this publication has always urged an early spring start. Several j o bs c an be c o m p l e t ed w h i le t he weather is still cold, one being liming as de- scribed in this issue. Bring out the spreader for a feeding while the grass is still dormant. As long as the lawn is brown, there is little danger of burning but it is still important coverage. Otherwise, growth will be spotty be- cause of variation in feeding. to effect even When the grass is brown, it is ad- visable to exert extra care in using the spreader because of the difficulty in seeing the spreader tracks. Possibly the best way is to maintain the pivot wheel in position as the direction of operation is reversed. Some use small flags as markers. F e e d, F e ed a nd F e e d. Every lawn should receive a feeding late winter or in the spring. More and more are the advantages of repeat treatments year on this schedule: ( 2) May-June, ( 3) July, ("4) August-September. Grub Control Entomologists report that some sections of the East can expect severe damage from grubs this coming year. This is true where Jap and Asiatic beetles are com- mon. One reason is that the unusually wet summer was conducive to egg laying in moist sod covered soil. realizing through ( 1) March-April, Generally the grubs hatch in the fall, bur- the to feed on grass turf damage does not show up row deeply for winter but come nearer surface roots. The until hot, dry weather. in May and June If the lawn is located in or near a Jap beetle area, it should be grub-proofed with the right amount of a Pest Control containing either D DT or Chlordane. Late winter or early spring is a good time to apply. then a Save on Seeding The same advantages of early liming and feeding apply to sowing seed. Alternate freezing and thawing will help bury the seed so it can get needed moisture and protection for germination and seedling growth as the soil warms. Good seed, like most commodities, seems costly per pound but it need not be expensive per lawn. Most folks sow too much seed because of the mis- taken idea that an extra heavy seeding will offset poor growing conditions. Any lawn with a fair turf needs only a light over-seeding or possibly only a touch-up of bare spots. On if the lawn was ruined by the other hand Crabgrass the past summer, rate more like a new lawn is needed. R a k i ng About the only reason for a spring raking or sweeping of the lawn is to remove the accumulation of debris such as leaves, sticks and twigs. Some give the lawns a vig- orous raking to remove dead Crabgrass and similar weeds. This does no good because the Crabgrass seeds have already dropped to the ground. Severe raking may dislodge good grass or at least expose surface roots to drying. The one exception to bodily removal of Crab- grass is when compost or soil is to be used as a topdressing. Then matted patches of Crab- grass should be raked out or scarified so the topdressing can make contact with the ground. Otherwise seedings fail because they dry out so quickly. Delayed Seeding if seeding is not done until frost is out of the ground and the surface is beginning to dry, then some effort should It is be made to roughen or scarify the soil. there be openings that important in which the seed may it be covered lodge or lightly with screened soil. R o l l i ng Except in soil preparation and seed- ing of new lawns, there is not much use for It is a mistake to use a roller a lawn roller. to flatten soil irregularities. That compacts the soil and results in a poor growing condi- light roller will help firm heaved tion. A grass plants little use in firming seed into the soil of an estab- lished the roller and no contact with the seed is made. A light rolling after seeding of newly pre- pared ground presses soil around the seed and hastens germination. Early Mowing It is a good idea to start cutting the grass as soon as it starts to grow. Such mowings should be fairly short to remove matted growth and give the seedling grass a better chance. Cut- ting height is best raised as the- weather gets hot in early summer. in such spots may in cool weather to some extent. turf holds up lawn because that in It is of the O M SCOTT & SONS CO. [Scom}> M A R Y S V I L LE - - O H IO EVERY PACKAGE OF SCOTTS LAWN CARE PRODUCTS BEARS THIS TRADE - MARK AND IS SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION