How to Spread Pulverized Lime

Apply lime to your lawn or garden in the fall or winter. Lime takes a few months to work, so spread it at least two to three months before you plan to plant. Pulverized lime takes longer than other forms of lime to raise the pH.

Measure out the correct amount of lime to avoid over-applying. Use no more than 50 lbs. of pulverized lime per 1,000 square feet. Use less than this if your soil test recommends it. Applying too much lime may burn your grass and other plants.

Use a drop spreader to apply pulverized lime. Calibrate the spreader for a rate of 25 lbs. per 1,000 square feet, or less than this if you wish to apply a smaller amount of lime. The method with which you will spread the lime -- using a crosshatch pattern -- requires that you calibrate the spreader at half of the rate. For example, if you plan to apply 40 lbs. per 1,000 square feet, calibrate the spreader for 20 lbs. per 1,000 square feet.

Push the drop spreader across your garden or lawn in a straight line. When you reach the end of the plot, begin another line of lime just next to the first. Continue in this fashion until you have covered the plot in adjacent lines.

Place the drop spreader at one end of the plot and turn it so that it faces across your adjacent lines. Push the spreader across the original lines of lime and continue in this fashion until you have completed a crosshatch pattern on the entire plot of land.

Set up one or more lawn sprinklers on the plot of land and turn them on. Irrigate the plot of land until the soil is thoroughly drenched. Lime requires moisture to work properly. Irrigating a lawn after a lime application also helps reduce potential burn on the grass.