On Mar 10, 7:23*pm, Ted Shoemaker wrote:
Hello,

The soil in our yard appears to need nitrogen and calcium. *The stuff
I've read, and the advice I've been told, says to add soil amendments.

How?

Okay. *I'm far from an expert. *Let's start at the beginning.

If I add something like dolomite (for calcium), I'm told that will
kill microinvertebrates and make the lawn dependent on chemical
fertilizers indefinitely. *I don't want that!

So let's add compost. *But, in order to add enough calcium in compost
form, I'd have to add several inches (in vertical depth) of of
compost. *That would smother the lawn. *Nope. *Not gonna do it. *I
don't want to re-plant the lawn.

Obviously I can't believe everything I hear or read.

What do you suggest?

Ted, go get yourself tested.

Don't follow advice that may be well intended, but inaccurate for
your situation. Do you ask for medicine recommendations online?

There are too many factors you need to know specifically, is your
organic matter % too low? the CEC out of whack, your pH too high?
What are the Ca levels to make you think you need more? Is it to
bring the pH up a bit? what are your Mg levels. So do you use
Calcitic or Dolomite lime and at what rate? I was very surprised to
read that I had to use both types this year and at quite different
rates, one for the garden and one for the lawn right next to each
other


If you are in the US. The UMass ( http://www.umass.edu/soiltest/ )
has a soil test for 15$ that will give you a complete readout and
recommendations to follow for your specific situation instead of this
generalized, generic "advice". I usually get the results emailed to
me within 2 days of reciept and a hard copy followup w/in a week.
Your country extension agent will have more info and other choices.
If outside the US I am sure you have proper labs available to you that
do the same if you ask around. They also give organic recommendations
and ways/methods to measure them.

And NO...If you follow directions, lime ( nor fertilizers) will not
kill your soil, despite all the green noise you get from here.