A few weeks ago we applied lime to all the fairways and weak turf areas on the golf course. Lime contains calcium and is most commonly used to raise the pH of soil. pH is a scale to measure the acidity and alkalinity of soil. The scale goes from 1-14. A pH of 7 is neutral. Soil with a pH below 7 is acidic, and pH above 7 is alkaline. The pH level we are attempting to achieve here is between 6 and 7. The soils here are very low, between 4 and 5. The pH of the soil needs to be adequate in order for plant nutrient availability, effectiveness of pesticides and herbicides, microbiological activity, and over all plant health. Changing the pH of soil does not happen over night, it takes time and repeated applications to reach the level. We made an effort to apply the lime yet this fall to allow for it to work into the soil and begin to raise the pH level.
