Question
I currently am fertilizing a lawn in SE Iowa and am having some trouble with dieseases. The lawn owner decided on his own to apply some lime,as it is a very small lawn I would assume he put on way too much. He applied the lime about a month or so ago. He went on vacation a week later and when he returned two weeks after that there were numerous areas of dead grass. Alot of it looks like dollar spot with one large area that I don`t know what happened. Would the high ph have any other adverse affects that you know of? Also would a soil test be in order?
                     Please Advise,
                      Craig Heckenberg

Answer
High soil pH can prevent nutrients from being taken up. Also rapid change of soil pH can often kill plants.

It could be a coincidence but improper liming could cause damage ,too.

Normally, I recommend liming in late fall so that the lime has time to work it's self into the soil during the winter. It is always better to apply lightly and twice per year if you like rather than heavily once per year.

Generally, people lime way too much. I do not like to lime as matter of routine. I always prefer to take a soil test before I lime to ensure it is needed. If the soil pH is 6.0 or higher DO NOT LIME. If it is lower you can add 35 lbs per 1000 sq feet of caltric limestone and test again in another 6 months.

You will not get anything from testing soil pH now. The soil pH will be high. Wait another 6 month and then test the soil.