Lime is calcium oxide applied in granular form. Lime helps improve lawn color and density, controls thatch, and increases root development. Lime balances the pH levels in the soil that have been affected by the fertilizer applications throughout the year. To read more about the importance of Lime, please read our Article entitled "Winter Care."

A lime render is a coating of lime-based material that was traditionally applied over rough, unsightly brickwork or rubblestone masonry walls. Non-hydraulic lime stuccos and hydraulic lime stuccos are common lime-based renders. In addition to these traditional applications, lime renders can restore some measure of protection to masonry buildings that have been sandblasted. (Sandblasting a masonry building is incredibly damaging.

Whenever you determine there is a need for lime. (The idea that there is a correct time of year to lime goes back to the labor requirements of a subsistence farm. If you don't have more free time than subsistence farmers you are doing something wrong.)

Hydraulic lime mortar is a lime mortar that hardens in damp or even wet conditions through a chemical reaction rather than exposure to air. (This is in contrast to standard, or non-hydraulic lime mortars, which harden by absorbing carbon dioxide, a process known as carbonation.) Hydraulic qualities are created when clay is included in the lime mixture.

Lime is a naturally occurring element that can be applied to the lawn to help balance the soil's pH so that it is more conducive for turf grasses to thrive. Included in a lime treatment is also a calcium supplement. Lime naturally helps control the acidity in top soil. To get the full benefit of readily available food to your lawn, the top soil must have the optimum pH level.

Slaked lime putty is quicklime (burned limestone) that has been mixed with water and allowed to age. Slaked lime putty for frescoes is finer than regular slaked lime, and it's been aged longer in order to make it smoother. This is crucial for frescoe work, which depends on very smooth surfaces.

Both of these plasters are typically used for interior applications, but fresco lime plaster is composed of aged lime putty and fine aggregates.

Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) has more neutralizing power than the more common dolomitic (calcium-magnesium carbonate) limestone. Dolomitic lime is usually sold in 40-50lb. Bags vs. the small bag of Hydrated lime. This means that for gardening purposes, you should apply about two-thirds the recommended amount of Hydrated lime.

Spalled brick in an1860s lighthouse that was repointed with portland cement mortar about twenty years ago. The historic stone masonry units have deteriorated dramatically, while the portland cement mortar joints remain intact. It' s important to understand that historic buildings are very different than modern buildings in several key ways: First, historic brick--in particular--is softer than modern brick because modern brick is fired at a much higher temperature than was possible in the past.

Lime wash is one of the oldest coatings known and generally used on stonework, plaster and brickwork as a cheap cleansing and disinfectant coating inside and out, a lightener for dark rooms, and a night-light margin for doorways. It was also used as an overall finish to suggest construction from marble, as intended in antiquity (classical Greek statuary and buildings were lime washed as a protective against destructive maritime salts).

Lime neutralizes the soil. Here in Southern New Jersey we have very acidic soil. Its good to spread lime twice a year, once in the beginning of the season and again in mid fall.

The term agricultural lime, or "aglime," usually refers to limestone. Limestone (calcium carbonate) is not the same as hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide).

A list of U.S. and Canadian lime suppliers by state/province is available under the Lime Supplier Portal. Suppliers can also be identified from the map under the Members area.

This is the raw material that is used to make lime putty. Quicklime is made by burning limestone or chalk in a kiln. This drives carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, leaving a very reactive material called quicklime (calcium oxide). It is made in a range of sizes from lumps down to very fine powder. We use the finest grade of high calcium quicklime from Buxton, Derbyshire.