How to apply garden lime
Updated: October 2026
You have a bag of garden lime and a bed, and three labels have already given you three numbers. This page is how to apply garden lime: pick one rate for one job, dig a correction into the top 20 cm, and keep manure and nitrogen fertiliser for another day. The [garden lime comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/garden-lime) is the product grid, not the method. Products Compared did not run a laboratory trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a bag of garden lime and a bed, and three labels have already given you three numbers.
You have a bag of garden lime and a bed, and three labels have already given you three numbers. This page is how to apply garden lime: pick one rate for one job, dig a correction into the top 20 cm, and keep manure and nitrogen fertiliser for another day. The garden lime comparison is the product grid, not the method. Products Compared did not run a laboratory trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Form | Dose or coverage | Pack | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Topline Topline garden lime 4 kg and Epsom salts 1.5 kg | Granules, powder | Not stated | 4 kg lime and 1.5 kg Epsom salts (item weight 5.5 kg) | 10.0 | about £18.95 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  Westland Westland lime soil conditioner, 4 kg (pack of 2) | Granules | 35-70 g per square metre | 4 kg, pack of 2 (item weight 8 kg) | 8.8 | about £19.98 | View offer |
| Alternative |  ENCAP Encap fast acting lime | Not stated | 400 sq ft | Item weight 1.13 kg and liquid volume 2.5 litres | 8.8 | about £35.06 | View offer |
On this page
Pick one rate before you open the bag
Do not open the bag until you know which number you are using. The Royal Horticultural Society table aims at about pH 6.5 in the top 20 cm. On clay it runs 0.6 kg per square metre from pH 6.0, 1.0 kg from 5.5, 1.4 kg from 5.0, and 1.8 kg from 4.5. On loam the same starting points are 0.5, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.5 kg. On sand they are 0.4, 0.7, 1.0, and 1.3 kg. Use the kilogram table only when you are correcting toward pH 6.5 after a current test. Use 10 g only when that is the rate on the pack in your hand. Do not average 10 g and 1 kg. At pH 7.0 or above, do not lime. On ericaceous beds, do not lime. If the pack says not to exceed its rate, the pack wins.
When and how deep
A labelled garden-centre box often allows autumn before frost, or any time the pack prints. Follow the job you chose, then the carton. Dig a correction into the top 20 cm. Above 0.5 kg per square metre, the RHS wants half dug in and half left on the surface. Below 0.5 kg, dig it all in, or sprinkle it if digging is impractical. Surface lime around established plants can take years. A 4 m² loam bed at pH 5.5 needs 0.8 kg per square metre, so 3.2 kg. Dig about 1.6 kg into the top 20 cm and leave about 1.6 kg on the surface. How you chose the box sits on the garden lime buying guide. Which listing holds that mass sits on best garden lime.
Lime, manure, and fertiliser
Do not apply garden lime and manure on the same day. The mix drives ammonium toward ammonia gas, nitrogen leaves the soil, and roots can scorch. The same ban covers lime with a nitrogen fertiliser. This page does not invent a waiting period that splits an allotment diary from a farm note. Keep the jobs on separate days. Allotment writers often manure in late autumn and lime in late winter. That keeps the materials apart. It is not an RHS statutory gap. Quicklime is calcium oxide, caustic, and not this method. If the bag says hydrated lime or builders' lime, stop and use garden lime or hydrated lime rather than these digging steps.
After you have spread it
Wait at least three months before you trust a new pH kit. A reading taken in March after a January dressing tells you about the dressing. Westland's label asks for gloves, washed skin, and a rate you do not exceed. Children and pets may return immediately after that product, according to the same page. If you put on too much of that product, the manufacturer FAQ says to water heavily to wash the excess through. Do not generalise that flush to an RHS kilogram overdose on another brand. Clubroot, the potato course, and blossom end rot sit on garden lime for vegetables. If you bought a US square-foot bag, spread what the carton says. Do not convert 5,000 sq ft into a UK pH promise.
Common questions
When should I apply garden lime?
For a vegetable correction, the RHS points to winter or just before you dig. A labelled garden-centre box often allows autumn before frost, or any time the pack prints. Pick the calendar that matches the job and the carton, then use a dry, windless day so the dust stays in the bed.
How much garden lime per square metre for clay, loam, or sand?
Use the RHS table only for a correction to about pH 6.5 in the top 20 cm. Clay at pH 5.5 is 1.0 kg per square metre; loam is 0.8 kg; sand is 0.7 kg. At pH 6.0 the same soils are 0.6, 0.5, and 0.4 kg. Do not replace those lines with one rounded kilogram.
Do I dig it in or leave it on the surface?
Above 0.5 kg per square metre, dig half in and leave half on the surface. Below that, dig it all into the top 20 cm unless digging is impractical. Surface lime around established plants can take years. A sprinkle is not a shortcut to the same pH change.
Can I lime and manure on the same day?
No. Applied together, they lose nitrogen as ammonia and can scorch roots. Keep the jobs on separate days. This page does not set a homemade week count. If a farm leaflet talks about months around urea, that is field practice, not a garden conversion.
Can I lime and feed with nitrogen at the same time?
No. The same ammonia problem applies to lime with a nitrogen fertiliser. Spread the lime, then feed on a later pass when the pack and the crop allow. Do not dissolve garden lime into a liquid feed as a workaround.
How long before I retest the pH?
At least three months after lime, fertiliser, or organic matter, on the RHS account. Test sooner and you measure the last dressing. Around established plants, a surface application can take years to show.
Is 10 g per square metre the RHS rate?
No. Ten grams per square metre is Westland's FAQ rate for that product, explained by fine particles. The RHS correction table is 0.4–1.8 kg per square metre. A 4 kg box covers about 400 m² at 10 g and about 4 m² at 1 kg. They are different jobs.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the figures stored with the eight amazon.co.uk listings, not a fresh shop check. A star line is not a measured pH rise. Hydrated lime is not one of these listings.
- RHS, lime and liming (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, soil pH (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, club root (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, blossom end rot (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS, potato scabs (retrieved October 2026)
- AHDB, soil pH and liming recommendations (retrieved October 2026)
- Westland garden lime (retrieved October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk, liming material (retrieved October 2026)