Can Dolomite Lime Be Used Under a House?

Types of Lime

• Limestone quarried from natural deposits of calcium carbonate with varying amounts of magnesium carbonate and other minerals is ground into a powder and can be applied to lawns and gardens without special precautions.

  Ground limestone is burned at temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to produce quicklime, a substance used in industrial applications. It acts more quickly than ground limestone and only half as much is needed to neutralize soil acidity. Because it is caustic, gloves need to be used to handle it.

  Hydrated lime, also called slaked lime, is produced by adding water to quicklime. It is used in building products such as whitewash, mortars and plasters and is about 1.5 times as effective as ground limestone at neutralizing. Caustic and powdery, it also needs to be handled with gloves.

About Dolomite Lime

• Limestone is a sedimentary rock produced by the compaction of tiny shells of marine creatures that have drifted down to the seabed over many thousands of years. Dolomite lime is produced from limestone containing 35 to 46 percent magnesium carbonate and is usually used in gardens because it supplies two of the elements essential for plant growth: calcium and magnesium.

Using Dolomite Lime in the Soil

• Ground limestone is usually used to raise the pH of acid soils for vegetables and other plants that dislike acidity and to counteract the effects of acidic organic matter such as peat moss. It is slow acting and may require months to raise the pH to the desired level. If possible, spreading a thin layer on the top of the soil and then mixing it in is best. Since turf grasses need a soil with pH close to neutral, 7.0, dolomite lime is often applied to the surface of established lawns every three or four years. Pelleted forms are available that are easier to spread than the dusty ground limestone.

Construction Uses of Lime

• Lime has been used for thousands of years to create solid building materials and the substances used to bind them together. When lime is hardened, it can slowly react with carbon dioxide to return to the calcium carbonate form of the original limestone, mending hairline cracks in the process. Whitewash, a mixture of hydrated lime and water, has been used for centuries to protect and sanitize surfaces. The reaction with carbon dioxide hardens the surface and the highly alkaline pH disinfects.