Question
QUESTION: My sisters and I have inherited our father's summer home.  As I am the one who always had a green thumb, I find myself also in charge of lawncare for the first time in my life.  I have very little idea of what to do.  I noticed your organically based rules and plan to apply them but I have a couple of questions.  First one is about the use of lime.  Is this something you always do in the spring?  We have several bags and I would like to know how, when, if and why it would be used.  Thanks!

ANSWER: You didn't mention where you live, but the first thing to worry about here is not what to do with the Lime.  You should get your soil tested asap!  This is the perfect time of year to do that.  Your local Cooperative Extension agent will be able to run you a test for a modest fee.  Give me your zipcode and I'll send you the contact information.

Lime is often needed in certain areas of the country (especially here on Long Island) to RAISE the pH of the soil.  Plant nutrients cannot be used outside of a limited pH range.  When the pH is too low, people put Lime down on their Grass to make it healthier for the Grass and adjust the pH upwards.  Lime is very alkaline; putting it on Acidic soil makes it a lot less Acidic.   A soil test also measures soil pH, the amount of Humic matter present in your soil sample, and exchangeable acidity.  This test will tell you if you need Lime and if you do, how much.  But get the soil tested first.

Lime is a natural product approved by national organic certifiers.  But it is important to know how much, if any, your soil needs.  Because if you use too much, the pH will get too high; suddenly, micro- and macro-nutrients -- Iron, Manganese, Boron, Copper, Zinc -- are unavailable to your Grass and other plants.  It is common for people to buy ONE bag of Lime when they go out to buy fertilizer or seed. Used on a 5000 sq ft Lawn, a single bag of Lime will have almost no effect whatsoever on the pH.  You need a soil test.

rsvp

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QUESTION: Where can I get a soil testing kit and around how much would it cost?  Is there a specific kit you would recommend? Thanks.
ANSWER: Soil tests must be done by scientists to be worth the paper they're printed on.

You must tell me where you live - a zipcode or nearby city - and then I can send you a place to go.  For the cost of a do-it-yourself soil test kit, you can get a complete analysis by a soil scientist in a specialized laboratory.  They don't cost much and they will give you lots of terrific information. A good test will SAVE YOU MONEY!  Don't let anyone talk you out of this.  It's the first step to building a beautiful Lawn and you will not have to buy anything that says you have it in your soil.  Why bother with that, anyway?  Give me your zip and I'll zip back a soil test location.

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QUESTION: For the soil testing, here is my zip code: 11548.  You're very convincing. Who can argue with saving money?

I should stress that we are not expecting a miracle. If the lawn can look somewhat acceptable, we would feel we had accomplished a great deal as we are novices to this. I know as much about this as I do about repairing my car. As someone else mentioned in your reviews, it is very nice to be able to depend on someone for this guidance.  Please tell me where to get soil tested and how it would be logistically done.
ANSWER: Cornell Cooperative Extension conducts soil testing for a modest fee:

http://www.css.cornell.edu/soiltest/Soiltest.html

Follow instructions exactly on the website for taking your sample.  Glad you liked your answer -- my pleasure.  Let me know how the soil test works out and we'll go over the results.

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QUESTION: Sorry, one more thing, what should I do with the bag of lime?

Answer
You can just keep the Lime in storage.  Keep it handy until you get your soil test back.

Lime is a VERY safe way to alter the pH of your soil IF YOU NEED IT.  There are different kinds of Lime.  Please tell me at your leisure what KIND of Lime this is.  Some Lime is better than others.

But get that soil test!  Tempus fugit!