germain

Which lime is the fastest acting and which is the slowest.Some people say lime takes a few months to take affect and others say a year.I know there is the pulverized powder,granulars,pelletized,and others.Which one works the fastest?
Thanks

psandhu

pelletized works faster, it' s also about $5 for a 50 lb bag.

lime from the quarry takes a few months to start working, $6 per ton.

RonM

Ground burnt limestone is faster that pellets, they have to disolve first. Limestone is about 1.40 a bag al Walmarts, use a ton to the acre. If you have large acreage have a lime truck spread it about 18. or more per acre.

lunchbucket

Liquid lime works almost instantaneously but is short term unless sprayed every 30-60 days or is used on the plant after it is grown.
Pelletized lime works fast but is a shorter term, usually less than one year in lite soils.
Powdered/ag lime works longer, usually 2-4 years depending on soil type and moisture... However, it take sometimes up to a year to do it' s thing. Ideally you would want to use the powdered lime and then spray with liquid lime for a quicker working project.

Ballistictip

Liquid lime works the fastest but I believe is the most expensive. Ground (pulverized) lime is the second fastest and also the cheapest. I can get it in bags for $60 a ton or spread by a truck in bulk for around $30 dollars per ton and I' ve heard in some areas it' s even cheaper. The ground lime will work in about a month when turned into the soil along with good soil moisture (rain). Pelletized lime is the slowest taking up to 6 months to raise pH levels. It is also the most expensive but if you' re spreading it yourself it is the easiest to work with. All lime needs moisture to work properly so rainfall is normally the determining factor on how quick it kicks in. My suggestion is to go with the bulk ground lime if this is a new plot and can be accessed by a large truck. You' ll come out much cheaper and you can stand back and watch the truck do all the work. Then all you have to do is disc it in, wait a few weeks and start planting.

germain

I guess there' s no easy way to spread the powdered lime.
My plot is in it' s first year doing well,clover.Do I need to continue adding lime to it each year and if so what' s the best type to use on existing clover?

lunchbucket

You need to do soil samples to find where you are at on the pH scale. Usually the ladino clovers require a 6.0 or above pH to reach their potential, but 7.0 is the best. If you have heavier soil the ratio of 2-3 tons an acre to raise the pH one point may be followed. In the lighter soils we recommend 4-6 tons an acre per point increase. You may reach a point where the soil will remain neutral for more than one yera without limeing. Soil samples take the guess work out of farmnig...

psandhu

a few years ago i spread several tons of bulk lime out of the back of a truck with a shovel and some muscle.

a much easier way is to sit in the back of the truck with a gasoline powered leaf blower and blow it out the tailgate while someone else drives. it' s much easier than it sounds.

Dan O.

germain; with lime, fastest isn' t necessarily best. You may get very quick action with liquid lime but the powder will show the neutralizing effect for a longer period. You have to add more powder to raise the pH the same amount as liquid but the lime particles keep reacting with soil acids until they' re consumed.

Dan O.

coolbrze0

Wow, never thought of that. Sounds like a good idea!