Lime Question???

[Danknuggler]

ok i went to the nursery and picked up some stuff for my soil mix and they had 2 kinds of lime.Hydrated lime and Agricultural lime. No Dolomite lime. Now i did a search here and am getting mixed answers to my question. I bought the Agricultural lime cause thats what the guy said i should use but now that i come home and open it well it doesnt look like powder but it isn't pellets either. its more like the consisitency of sand maybe a little more powdery than sand but definitely not powdery like lets say baby powder.Did i get the right stuff.thanx nuggler

 

[bartender187]

Not sure what Agricultural lime is,,,, but Hydrated lime will burn MJ plants and is definately not what you need. Sorry I couldnt be of more help

 

[Danknuggler]

thanx bartender for tryin.anybody else?????

 

[BurnOne]

Look closely all over the Agricultural lime label and see if it says dolomite or dolomitic anywhere. If it does then you're in luck. It's dolomite lime.
Burn1

 

[Danknuggler]

This is Hi-Yield brand and it says derived from Agricultual Limestone.Please someone who KNOWS help me here as I'm trying to mix some soil for outdoor plants right now as I type!!!!!

 

[bartender187]

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0115182316083.html

ppl asking a similiar question, in short I think the difference is in the ratios of magnesium to calcium with dolmitic lime having a more even ratio..... but agricultural lime is non caustic and wont burn like hydrated lime.

 

[*hillbilly*]

ag. lime is coarser than other lime,it takes longer for it to change ph in the soil. it can be a coarse as sand or bigger. usally it is put on farms weeks before planting

 

[Danknuggler]

Thanks bartender as I think Dolomite Lime and Agricultural lime are one in the same.On my bag the Calcium Carbonate is 53.94% and the Magnesium Carbonate is 45.36% I think thats pretty even amount wouldn't you think? This stuff definitely isn't the caustic super quick release like the hydrated lime is but I was just hoping it wasn't some kind of SLOW release lime that takes 1-2 years to work because it really isn't powdered per day.

 

[vonforne]

Calcitic lime is mined from natural, limestone bedrock deposits. The soil is bulldozed off the bedrock; holes are drilled in the limestone, then it is blasted out with dynamite charges. It is crushed to about 1-inch stones, then pulverized or ground to screening specifications. Calcitic lime, also called aglime, has a neutralizing value between 85-100 percent. In addition to neutralizing soil acidity, calcitic limestone supplies calcium, an essential element for plant growth.

Dolomitic lime is mined in a manner similar to calcitic lime. It has a neutralizing value between 85-109 percent and supplies both calcium and magnesium for plant growth.

Burned lime (calcium oxide) is also called quicklime or unslaked lime and is manufactured by roasting crushed lime in a furnace to drive off carbon dioxide. It has a neutralizing value between 150-175 percent, which is the highest of all liming materials. It is a powdery, caustic material that is difficult to handle because it absorbs water very quickly. When applied, use only on the soil surface and incorporate immediately to prevent the formation of granules or flakes which decompose slowly.

Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide), also called builder's lime or slaked lime, is manufactured by adding water to burned lime. It has a neutralizing value of between 120-135 percent. Hydrated lime is a caustic, powdery material and should not be applied to established turf since it can burn.

Marl is mined from deposits that lie below peat bogs. It is calcium carbonate material that was formed by shell deposits or produced in aquatic plants. The material, deposited along with clay and organic debris, is somewhat impure, and has a neutralizing value between 70-90 percent.

Pelletized lime is finely ground agricultural lime to which a cementing agent has been added to form "pellets." It has been in use for several years, and while it is more expensive, this material is easier to spread than regular liming materials and eliminates the dust problem commonly associated with them. The lime pellets dissolve with a soaking rain or irrigation. If pelletized lime is used for establishing new lawns, apply to the soil surface and water thoroughly before tilling. If intact pellets are incorporated, neutralization will be confined to pockets within the tilled soil since lime moves very slowly in soil.

 

[Danknuggler]

ag. lime is coarser than other lime,it takes longer for it to change ph in the soil. it can be a coarse as sand or bigger. usally it is put on farms weeks before planting

WEEKS???? Do you think adding it to my outdoor soil mix will benefit my plants in time? Or is this stuff not really gonna have time to do what it's supposed to before I harvest in mid OCT.? Man this is pissin me off cause this guy sold this to me at the nusery and I can't even get a real solid YES if this stuff will work fine for outdoor or NOT!!!I just want my PH to stay good and not have any CAL-Mag definciencies but will this work is the question??????Thanks all for your help on this!I'm still sittin here at 9:30 pm waiting to mix my soil up and hike to my plot people so can someone who knows if the AG Limestone is worth mixing or should I go try to find Dolomite Lime tommorrow???Nuggler

 

[Guest]

You can go ahead and use the agricultural lime, nuggler san.

"Argricultural" should tip you off that it's used for agriculture.

You definately made the right choice as hydrated lime does not buffer the pH(maintain it steady), which is what you want, and which is what dolomitic lime does.

Stay away from hydrated lime for growing, as it makes pH's spike and dip, which is bad for plant health.

If you want, you can even grind it up to a fine powder consistency, it will speed up the time needed to affect the pH since powderizing it will increase surface area, and thus area able to make contact with acidic soils/organic materials.

Good luck, grasshopper.


~Ninja~

 

[Danknuggler]

Ah thank you Ninja Master!! Will do. I am somewhat of a "closet Ninja" myself!! But seriously thanx!! Nuggler

 

[vonforne]

If you read the post on lime. The first is calcitic lime and it is also called aglime. Third sentence.

 

[Pimp Aurora]

so it's safe for me to add this? 90% calcium carbonate
http://www.vitax.co.uk/productshome.asp?product=HSC006

also should I just use it as a top dress or mix it thorougly?
1 for the road.. should i grind it up into a dust?

 

[vonforne]

You can use this but you will have to supplement with something to provide Mg. You can use a coffee grinder or a blender to make it into a powder.

Calcium Carbonate
Algae 72H LC50> 200 mg/l
Daphnia 48H LC50> 1000 mg/l
FISH 96H LC50> 10000 mg/l
Mobility: non-volatile
Persistence and degradability: biodegradable
Bioaccumulative potential: no data available



Daphnia are small, mostly planktonic, crustaceans, between 0.2 and 5 mm in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because of their saltatory swimming style (although fleas are insects and thus only very distantly related). They live in various aquatic environments ranging from acidic swamps to freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.

Hey, this looks like some great stuff. I have been looking into combining calcitic and dolomite lime as a soil buffer. It has some natural ingredients to make up this one. I like the loolks of this stuff.

I would use it but as I said you need to provide the Mg another way.

Good find.

V

 

[Pimp Aurora]

Sweet Thank you very much vonforne, I found it in a local'ish garden centre and saw calcium and mg on the box and thought that might do instead of dolomite lime, I can suppliment the Mg with epsom salts, I'm going to sound like a total noob now and ask how much you would use of each per 1 gallon of compost also how would you apply it?

It's a 4kg box, probably enough to last me a lifetime!

 

[vonforne]

Can you give me the exact amount in % of Ca and Mg? Or take a picture of the box and post it up would be better.

V

 

[Pimp Aurora]

sure, 2 mins

 

[Pimp Aurora]

That's the only important info on the box, there was no paper work inside when I opened it up earlier.

49% Mg?

 

[Danknuggler]

Thanks bartender as I think Dolomite Lime and Agricultural lime are one in the same.On my bag the Calcium Carbonate is 53.94% and the Magnesium Carbonate is 45.36% I think thats pretty even amount wouldn't you think? This stuff definitely isn't the caustic super quick release like the hydrated lime is but I was just hoping it wasn't some kind of SLOW release lime that takes 1-2 years to work because it really isn't powdered per day.

See my Agricultural Lime has BOTH Cal and Mag.