Lime Needed for Land

The Lime Needed for Land calculator computes the total number of pounds of lime needed for an amount of land (acres) based on the pH and soil type.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (A) Area of Land
• (sT) Soil Type (choose clay, loam or sandy)
• (pH) pH Level 
• (P) Price per 50lb bag

Pounds of Lime for Land (PoL): The calculator returns:

1. Number of pounds of lime
2. Number of 50lb bags of lime
3. Total Cost of lime

The Math / Science

Pounds of Lime to Raise the pH of Soil
This table above contains amounts of lime to add for Sandy, Loam and Clay soils to raise the pH from a starting value to a healthy 6.5.

The proper pH is essential to raising healthy plants.  The ideal pH is 6.5.  A pH of 6.0 or lower has an unhealthy amount of acid for plant growth.  To counteract acid soil, the most common remedy is the adding of lime.  Limestone is a natural element, and when crushed into fine powder (lime), it is an excellent balancer of acidity.  Furthermore, lime contains calcium and magnesium which are minerals that are essential to optimal plant health. 

To identify the proper amount of lime to add to your soil, you should have your soil's pH tested.  There are inexpensive kits for testing soil at most agriculture stores.  Once you know the pH of your soil, you can use the following table to compute the amount (pounds) of limestone needed per 1,000 square feet.

In the absence of testing, some recommend an application of 40 to 80 pounds of lime per 1,000 ft² for a first application, and 20 to 40 pounds of lime per 1,000 ft² thereafter to maintain pH.