To further minimize risk of herbicide damage, spot treat trouble areas if possible and wait as long as feasible before use in order to let the stand mature. Turf and Calcium Fertilizer Dotted throughout the professional trade journals right now are products touting the potential benefits of calcium fertilization on turf. Calcium plays an integral role in cell wall development. Theoretically, this implies the more calcium in the system, the thicker the cell walls of turf plants and the better the traffic tolerance of those plants. However, I have not seen any data verifying this claim.
Limestone is the parent material for most of the soils throughout much of Indiana and the Midwest.
Therefore calcium is at adequate, if not at excessive levels, in our soils. Consistent with my philosophy of not applying pesticides or N, P, and K fertilizer when none is justified, Calcium should not be applied when it is not justified. Furthermore, a recent study at Iowa State on soils high in calcium revealed that frequent calcium applications did not increase the amount of calcium taken up by the turf. Though it is always best to return grass clippings to the soil, they can also be used in compost piles or as mulch in gardens. Be careful if your lawn has recently been treated with broadleaf herbicides because these herbicides can leach out of the clippings and affect sensitive plants such as tomatoes.