Garden Lime Powder – Calcium Carbonate for Soil & Lawns
Garden Lime Powder – Calcium Carbonate for Soil & Lawns
Improve acidic soils and increase soil pH with Soil Solutions Garden Lime Powder, a fine calcitic limestone containing 99.9% calcium carbonate.
Garden Lime is commonly applied to acidic garden soils and lawns to reduce soil acidity and raise pH. Correcting excessively acidic soil can improve the availability of important plant nutrients while providing a valuable source of calcium.
Soil Solutions Garden Lime is produced from Australian calcitic limestone sourced in Victoria. Its soft, finely powdered consistency allows the limestone to react with acidic soil more readily than coarser forms of limestone.
What Does Garden Lime Do?
Garden Lime is primarily used to reduce soil acidity and increase soil pH.
Soils naturally vary in pH, and factors including rainfall, soil type, organic matter, fertiliser use and ongoing cultivation can influence acidity over time.
When soil becomes too acidic for the plants being grown, the availability of certain nutrients can be affected.
Garden Lime contains calcium carbonate, which reacts with acidity in the soil and gradually raises the soil pH towards a level more suitable for many garden plants.
Benefits of Garden Lime for Soil
When used appropriately on acidic soils, Garden Lime can provide several benefits:
- Helps reduce excessive soil acidity
- Raises soil pH
- Provides a source of calcium
- Can improve the availability of some plant nutrients
- Supports suitable growing conditions for many garden plants
- Can contribute to improved soil conditions
- Suitable for garden beds, vegetable gardens and lawns
The amount of lime required will depend on your existing soil pH, soil type and the plants you intend to grow
Garden Lime as a Source of Calcium
Soil Solutions Garden Lime contains approximately 37.3% calcium, making it a concentrated mineral source of this important plant nutrient.
Calcium contributes to normal plant development and plays important structural roles within plant cells.
Applying calcitic lime to acidic soil can therefore perform two functions: neutralising soil acidity while supplying calcium.
However, Garden Lime should not be applied simply because plants require calcium. The existing soil pH should also be considered because unnecessary liming can raise pH beyond the preferred range for your plants.
Garden Lime for Lawns
Garden Lime can be applied to lawns growing in acidic soil to help increase soil pH and create more suitable growing conditions for turf.
The recommended general application rate for lawns is:
30–40g per square metre
Spread the Garden Lime evenly across the lawn and water thoroughly after application.
Before applying lime to a lawn, it is recommended to test the existing soil pH. Lime is most beneficial where soil acidity actually requires correction.
Garden Lime for Vegetable Gardens & Garden Beds
Many vegetables and common garden plants perform best within a particular soil pH range.
Where testing indicates that garden soil is excessively acidic, Garden Lime can be incorporated into the soil to gradually raise its pH.
The appropriate application rate depends considerably on soil type.
Light or sandy soil:
Approximately 50–100g per square metre.
Heavy soil:
Approximately 100–200g per square metre.
Spread evenly over the required area and water in thoroughly.
For best results, determine your existing soil pH before application and consider the preferred pH range of the plants you intend to grow.
Do Not Use Garden Lime on Acid-Loving Plants
Not every plant benefits from increasing soil pH.
Avoid applying Garden Lime around acid-loving plants that prefer lower-pH growing conditions, including:
- Azaleas
- Camellias
- Blueberries
- Other plants specifically requiring acidic soil
Applying too much lime can make soil excessively alkaline and potentially reduce the availability of certain plant nutrients.
This is why soil testing is preferable to applying lime routinely without first determining whether it is required.
How to Apply Garden Lime
- Check Your Soil: Where possible, test your soil pH before applying Garden Lime.
- Calculate the Required Amount: Consider the existing pH, soil type and plants being grown when determining the application rate.
- Spread Evenly: Distribute the powder as evenly as possible over the soil or lawn.
- Water Thoroughly: Water the treated area well after application to begin moving the material into the soil.
- Allow Time to Work: Garden Lime changes soil chemistry gradually. Avoid repeatedly applying additional lime without checking the resulting soil pH.
Australian Calcitic Limestone
Soil Solutions Garden Lime is made from calcitic limestone sourced from a long-established lime deposit in Victoria, Australia.
The finely powdered limestone provides a high calcium carbonate content and an Effective Neutralising Value (ENV) of 90.2%.
Its fine consistency provides a large surface area to interact with the soil, helping the calcium carbonate react with soil acidity.
Typical Analysis
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO₃): 99.9%
Calcium (Ca): 37.3%
Moisture Content: <1.0%
Effective Neutralising Value (ENV): 90.2%
Country of Origin: Australia
As with any soil amendment, apply according to your soil conditions, plant requirements and product directions.
Product Details
Product: Soil Solutions Garden Lime Powder
Material: Calcitic limestone
Primary Component: Calcium carbonate
Calcium Carbonate: 99.9%
Calcium: 37.3%
ENV: 90.2%
Form: Fine powder
Suitable For: Acidic garden soils, vegetable gardens and lawns
Country of Origin: Australia