{"id":19033,"date":"2022-03-23T13:27:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-23T17:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=19033"},"modified":"2022-03-23T13:28:29","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T17:28:29","slug":"is-lime-safe-on-lawns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/","title":{"rendered":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very mindful of the items and products we use at home to be conscious of the health of my family, wildlife and the environment.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is lime non-toxic? Is it safe to use around children, our garden and for the environment? What should I look out for when selecting grass seed that is non-toxic? I am very unsure about pursuing the grub treatment because I am worried about being exposed to any chemicals.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h3>\n

Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Lots to consider here! Moss tends to grow in shady, moist, poorly drained areas and also can indicate nutrient deficiencies – I’m going to address the lime and the grub treatment first, but I highly recommend\u00a0reading through the bulletins at the end\u00a0of this email\u00a0for a good overview on lawn maintenance in general!<\/p>\n

Lime<\/strong>\u00a0is used to treat soils that are too acidic (common in Maine, and the moss growing may indicate that).\u00a0 \u00a0We would suggest\u00a0you do a\u00a0soil test<\/a>\u00a0first to determine if it is needed, and how much is actually needed (unless this has already been done). The soil test will also help pinpoint any other underlying problems, and determine if any other nutrients need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

According to Virginia State University, calcitic and dolomitic lime are nontoxic to humans, wildlife and pets. However, because all types of lime dust can irritate the lungs, eyes and skin, you should wait until the application of lime has been incorporated into the soil before using your yard. Some people like to wait until after a good rain, allowing for the lime to dissolve into the ground.\u00a0 Go ahead and check with your landscaper on this as well.<\/p>\n

About\u00a0grub treatment<\/strong>\u00a0 – we wouldn’t recommend it unless you know there\u2019s been a problem in the past.\u00a0\u00a0Here are links to a UMaine Cooperative Extension\u00a0White Grub<\/a>\u00a0Fact Sheet and one from Cornell Extension,\u00a0Grubs in Your Lawn (PDF)<\/a>\u00a0for reference.\u00a0If grubs do need to be addressed, it depends on what they are recommending for treatment.\u00a0 Once you know the specific materials, you can look at the material safety data sheets, check with Pam Breyer at the Board of Pesticides Control, or call the National Pesticide Information Center.\u00a0http:\/\/npic.orst.edu\/<\/a><\/p>\n

General Lawn Care Resources:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read through the bulletin\u00a0Establishing a Home Lawn in Maine<\/a>. You will find\u00a0specific grass seed recommendations<\/strong>\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

Also\u00a0Steps to a Low-Input Healthy Lawn<\/a>\u00a0is a good reference.<\/p>\n

Not to add more to your plate, but taking in your comments about wanting to be contentious\u00a0about the health of your greater ecosystem, you could look into “lawn alternatives” for some areas of your landscape and think about other things you could grow, especially if shade and or poor drainage is an issue with the moss growth.\u00a0\u00a0Pollinator Friendly Lawn Alternatives<\/a> is a nice article from the University of New Hampshire to start with.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,206],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-lawns"],"yoast_head":"\nIs lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"twood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"twood\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"twood\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518\"},\"headline\":\"Is lime safe to use on your lawn?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\"},\"wordCount\":549,\"articleSection\":[\"Ask the Expert\",\"Lawns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\",\"name\":\"Is lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is lime safe to use on your lawn?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/\",\"name\":\"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard\",\"description\":\"Information you can use. Research you can trust.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518\",\"name\":\"twood\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"twood\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/twood\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","og_description":"Question: We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very […]","og_url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/","og_site_name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","article_published_time":"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00","author":"twood","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"twood","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/"},"author":{"name":"twood","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518"},"headline":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn?","datePublished":"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/"},"wordCount":549,"articleSection":["Ask the Expert","Lawns"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/","name":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-03-23T17:27:10+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-23T17:28:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2022\/03\/23\/is-lime-safe-on-lawns\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is lime safe to use on your lawn?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#website","url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/","name":"Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard","description":"Information you can use. Research you can trust.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/#\/schema\/person\/9f0056a6c4a281b4f517e1313fa2c518","name":"twood","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fc8c7b5c8d78336ceef76f813278762e12972bcd042b075da831f24d0320bdb3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"twood"},"url":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/twood\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":199,"label":"Ask the Expert"},{"value":206,"label":"Lawns"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"twood","author_link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/author\/twood\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":199,"name":"Ask the Expert","slug":"ask","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":199,"taxonomy":"category","description":"This is the top level category for all posts submitted to our Ask the Expert gardening questions form.","parent":0,"count":652,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":199,"category_count":652,"category_description":"This is the top level category for all posts submitted to our Ask the Expert gardening questions form.","cat_name":"Ask the Expert","category_nicename":"ask","category_parent":0},{"term_id":206,"name":"Lawns","slug":"lawns","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":199,"count":31,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":206,"category_count":31,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Lawns","category_nicename":"lawns","category_parent":199}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19033"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19035,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19033\/revisions\/19035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}