Lime the Yard After a Flood
A flood can ravage a yard--floods can cover your yard in harmful bacteria and often times will damage a yard to the point that it must be reseeded. But lime can help you revive your yard. Lime can help to neutralize harmful bacteria in your yard, add needed calcium to the soil, and lower the acidity of the soil to optimal levels. The beneficial effects of lime can encourage your flood damaged grass to regrow or prepare your soil for reseeding.
Instructions
1. Use a water hose to rinse away the sediment, left behind from the flood waters, from your flood-damaged yard. Lightly rake the yard to remove any metal, plastic or other foreign items left from the flood.
2. Take an assessment of your grass to determine if it is healthy enough to be saved. If the lawn has sustained minimal damage--the grass retains much of its green color and the root structure is intact--purchase some dolomitic lime from a local hardware store to disinfect the lawn.The calcium in the lime will also nourish the damaged grass. The University of Missouri Extension's website advised tilling and reseeding a lawn that has been waterlogged or sediment covered for longer that four days.
3. Use a soil pH tester to check the acidity of the soil in your yard before reseeding. Set the switch on the tester to the "pH" position, and then stick the probes on the bottom of the tester into your soil. Read the tester's pH meter to find out the level of acid present in your soil. Test several other spots in your yard to get an idea of how acidic your soil is. This will indicate how much lime you need.
4. Place the lime into a drop spreader and then distribute the lime evenly across your lawn. Use one 20- to 30-lb. bag of lime for every 1,000 square feet of yard space. If your yard's pH is just barely outside of the optimal level of acidity for the type of grass you will grow, use less lime--try using one bag for every 1,500 to 2,000 square feet of yard space.
5. Work the lime into the soil with a garden rake. For lawns that are too damaged to revive, use a shovel and garden rake to mix the lime about half a foot down into your yard. Reseed and fertilize the lawn two weeks after you've mixed the lime into your soil.
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