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Why is pelletized lime bad?

funkervogt

donut engineer
Veteran
Hey all,

I mistakenly purchased some pelletized lime and used it for a recent soil mix. The mix was 50% perlite, 50% FFOF and about a tablespoon of pellets per gallon.

I have not seen any problems in my plants, and only realized my mistake after reading this forum for the first time a little while ago :hide:

I'm wondering what the drawback would be of pelletized lime? Could I just pulverize the pellet lime to achieve the same thing?
 

skunktoker

Member
I have used the pelletized lime for years now with no problems at all ...It will work just fine especially if ya cant find the pulvarized in some places...ST
 

GrnMtnGrwr

Active member
Veteran
Buy yourself a coffee grinder for $10-15 and grind those pellets up! :biggrin:

AFAIK powdered is more accessible to the plant than pelletized.

Edit: Please see 619Sativa's post below mine, pelletized and powdered may be entirely different things.
 

619Sativa

Member
Yeah, I went to the local Armstrong Nursery today to look for supplies, and all I could find was the pelletized dolomite lime. It was pretty cheap, $7.99 for 5 pounds, but when I was reading through the Organics for Beginners thread, B1 said that the pellets are mostly something else, rolled in dolomite lime, so even if you do grind it up, it's not pure lime, do you get what I'm saying? He also said that the application rate would differ because it is not pure lime, and there is no way of knowing how much percent it contains. Trial and error I guess. I'm no pro, actually just starting out my new life as an organic grower, but I've been doing a lot of research, and that is the information as I see it. Hope that helps.
 

619Sativa

Member
I forgot to mention that when I asked the clerk if they had the powdered dolomite lime, he said that most hardware stores carry it. I don't know if that is true or not, but it doesn't hurt to look.
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
619, well said. There is no point grinding this stuff up. The hard part is figuring how much you need. Then just use it normally. It is easier to mix up evenly than powder.

Drawback: it's much more expensive.
 

+Vibes

Member
hey there.... i've been grinding up pellets for the past two runs (my very first two....)
i use it at the same application rate: 1tbsp/gal
i haven't had *stellar plants yet, but such is the nature of a beginner... I think the lime is doing its job for the most part...

next run will have real powder lime... so if you ask me in may i'll share my findings

also 619, i might suggest shopping around a bit more. i'm in the midwest of usa... a 50# bag of powdered lime is $5.95
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
Pelletized lime is rolled in clay and when it contacts water, the clay and lime both dissolve. So as long as your soil is wet, the pellets will dissolve in the soil. If your soil isn't wet... well, your plants just died so who cares about dolo lime? :tiphat:

It is indeed difficult or impossible to tell just how much of your lime was actually clay, but fortunately your soil doesn't need you to be *that* exact in your measurements where dolomitic lime is concerned. I would add whatever recommended amount is given for the powdered dolo, then add 20% or so. You'll be just fine.
 

bluntt

Member
PELLETIZED LIME IS DOLOMITE JUST NOT IN POWDER FORM, JUST PULVERIZE IT. WHY GO PAID FOR SOMETHING YOU HAVE ALREADY
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
Pelletized lime is rolled in clay and when it contacts water, the clay and lime both dissolve. So as long as your soil is wet, the pellets will dissolve in the soil. If your soil isn't wet... well, your plants just died so who cares about dolo lime?

absolutely true. also worth saying - the dolomite lime in a clay pellet is powdered.

plus you get clay, which is good.
 

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
Powdered dolomite lime is fast acting. You need it.
Burn1

Hey B1-

I hear ya, but try putting a handful of pelletized lime in water sometime. The pellets dissolve in minutes. That's plenty fast enough.
 

Jellinator

Member
The powdered dolomite lime the the chalk they use to line the ball fields!! This may help, my local hardware store carries bags for the little league!
 

619Sativa

Member
So after shopping around quite a bit, I have found out that the Ace hardware store in my area carries a 25# bag for around 8 bucks. I'm sure some of you get it for cheaper, but that is the best thing I could find in my area. I saw that worms way carries a 50# bag for around 12 bucks, but after shipping it would cost me 50 bucks. Yikes.
 

Chief

Member
So after shopping around quite a bit, I have found out that the Ace hardware store in my area carries a 25# bag for around 8 bucks. I'm sure some of you get it for cheaper, but that is the best thing I could find in my area. I saw that worms way carries a 50# bag for around 12 bucks, but after shipping it would cost me 50 bucks. Yikes.

Some of the lime in hardware stores is hydrated lime, especially in the cement/stucco section. Agricultural lime is calcium carbonate and hydrated lime is calcium hydroxide.

Aglime is limestone , quick lime is heated limestone, hydrated lime is hydrated quick lime. When the lime is hydrated it changer from calcium carbonate to calcium oxide. I got a 50lb bag of both for around $8 each
 

619Sativa

Member
Some of the lime in hardware stores is hydrated lime, especially in the cement/stucco section. Agricultural lime is calcium carbonate and hydrated lime is calcium hydroxide.

Aglime is limestone , quick lime is heated limestone, hydrated lime is hydrated quick lime. When the lime is hydrated it changer from calcium carbonate to calcium oxide. I got a 50lb bag of both for around $8 each
Thanks for the heads up. I saw that they carried hydrated and agricultural, so I'll make sure I get the agricultural.
 

619Sativa

Member
I went to the local hydro shop today and asked if they carried the lime or if they new where i could get some, and they said that I shouldn't be using the lime at all. He said that it is meant for soils on the east coast where it is much more acidic. He explained it to where it made sense, but all the research I have done says I need it. But we all know how the head shop owners are.
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
Is she local?

If so she isn't crazy, just assuming you are using local soil.

Which, btw, is what i would be doing in your shoes. But I got no advice to give you on that. I'm about to get started myself. Ask Jaykush, or MrFista (I think, sorry fista if that's wrong), and there are others I just can't remember. We really need a forum for people wanting to do this.

If you are doing a peat mix like mine or most of the other people here, you need that dolomite lime.
 

619Sativa

Member
Is she local?

If so she isn't crazy, just assuming you are using local soil.

Which, btw, is what i would be doing in your shoes. But I got no advice to give you on that. I'm about to get started myself. Ask Jaykush, or MrFista (I think, sorry fista if that's wrong), and there are others I just can't remember. We really need a forum for people wanting to do this.

If you are doing a peat mix like mine or most of the other people here, you need that dolomite lime.
Yeah, it's a local shop, but I'm going to be making my own soil mix with 5 parts coco coir, 3 parts perlite, and 2 parts EWC, if that matters. The way I understand it, the lime is more necassary for the peat based while I'm doing it in coco. I know coco has an almost neutral ph, so do you think that the lime would raise my ph too much? I'm still gonna get a bag just in case, and probably experiment a little to see what works best for me. Once again ML, thanks for the input.
 
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