I have always had problems with what weed killer I should use because of my kids. Is there a way to kill weeds without chemicals that could hurt children? What exactly does adding lime to ones lawn do?
I would no use lime unless a ph test showed the soil to be highly acidic. Follow your dads advice and use some lawn fertilizer I think you will get better results. I reread you original question. Your brown spots may be from incorrect watering. Dig down in some of the brown spots and see if that area is dry. If it is, hand water the spots and check for clogged or mis aimed nozzles in that area. If those spots seem to be getting a lot of water(which I doubt) then you can consider the possibility of a lawn disease.
It's a mistake to just throw down lime. Before adding any 'amendments' as the fancy lawn guys say, you need to test the soil. It's pretty easy. If you do, you'll know what the Ph (pronounced 'Pee Aych') value is and will be able to decide if Lime is what you need or not.
