Lime, can it be "watered" in.

[1Roscoe]

I just decided to take my first stab at a small food plot to bowhunt over this fall. Bow season starts on Sept 29th for us, so I would like to get seed on the ground around Sept 15th. I have not done a soil test as of yet. I mowed the area close a week ago and will look to hit it with Roundup sometime by this weekend. I am not going to work the soil other than to rake or drag the dead vegation away. I will be able to keep this plot watered as we have a new well with good capacity about 200' from the plot area.

A few questions:
(1)Is is too late for lime additions?
(2)Can lime be watered in or must it be tilled in?
(3) Anyone have experience with any type of battery powered faucet water timer. It will still be plenty hot here in mid sept. and I would like to be able to hit the plot with water everyday or so if needed.

I appreciate the info.

Ross

 

[BSK]

It's not to late to lime, but depending on the type of lime, you won't see maximum effect for 6 months. Yes, lime will percolate through the soil, but not as effectively as if it were tilled in.

I have 8 acres of food plots that have never had the soil turned. The soil isn't great and the plots are nowhere near as productive as turned-ground plots, but they work for what I want them to do (attract deer and provide higher quality nutrition during fall and winter).

 

[Greg .]

(1)Is is too late for lime additions?

For anything you plant this early fall, yes. Lime needs a few months to react into the soil. What you put down now will certainly help in the future, however.

(2)Can lime be watered in or must it be tilled in?

Yes, it can be watered in, it just takes longer.

Sorry, I can't help you with (3).

 

[1Roscoe]

Thanks for the responses!

It's not to late to lime, but depending on the type of lime, you won't see maximum effect for 6 months.

Bryan, what type of lime would you recommend? I'm doing a small plot, so cost is somewhat irrelivant. All I've seen locally is a Pulverized Limestone by Pavestone @ Home Depot.

 

[BSK]

Very, very finely ground lime will activate in the soil much faster than lime that is rough ground. The size of the lime particles drives how fast they activate in the soil.

 

[Greg .]

... and the pulverized stuff (it's ground about as fine as can be) is the quickest.

 

[Trapper John]

We still use that Biologic pHFertilizer on some of our fields that are impossible to get a lime truck to. If the plot is small that might help you out. The stuff activates within weeks.

 

[BSK]

What about the PH Gain Liquid Calcium product by EVOLVED habitats?? It is touted as liquid lime.

Yes, it works, but it is prohibitively expensive.

 

[BSK]

We still use that Biologic pHFertilizer on some of our fields that are impossible to get a lime truck to. If the plot is small that might help you out. The stuff activates within weeks.

Where are you getting it Trapper?

 

[BSK]

I am under the impression that pelletized lime works the fastest,am I confused on this.

If you can find it, the pHfertilizer will work the fastest. The lime in it is ground so fine it's bordering on quicklime.

 

[Trapper John]

We still use that Biologic pHFertilizer on some of our fields that are impossible to get a lime truck to. If the plot is small that might help you out. The stuff activates within weeks.

Where are you getting it Trapper?

I order it from the Decatur County Co-Op each year. It ships from the warehouse here in La Vergne. They won't let me pick it up direct from the warehouse.

It's getting expensive even for a small plot. Next season I might switch to regular pellet lime and bagged fertilizer.

 

[tnclayboy]

I only have two 1/2 acre plots that I lime myself the rest I plant in ag fields in oct after crops are harvested and granted they give me permission. I just put about 240lbs of lime out on one plot today . I lime it every year about this time .cost about 20$ per plot per year to just buy it at lowes . 40$ a year I can live with.If I had alot to do I would hire a truck to come in and spread .

 

[farmin68]

The quickest acting lime is crushed down to 100 mesh. Mesh is related to the screen size the lime will pass through. If you are using bagged lime, the mesh size will be on the bag. Other than using it on my garden, I have no experience with it but I have read that it will react with the soil in 2-3 weeks.

Last time I looked, Rural King and Tractor Supply had it. If the Co-Op doesn't have it in stock they can get it.

*If you haven't done a soil test and know that your plot hasn't been limed in a few years, applying 1.5 tons/acre (75#/1000 sq. ft.) should come real close to equaling 2 tons of regular lime.*

Two years is probably the max time 100 mesh will keep your soil's ph balanced. Regular lime isn't screened to one particle size and if I remember correctly, it varies from 30-100 mesh with the average being 40-50.

*This is only a general recommendation. The only way to know for sure how much your plot needs is with a soil test.

EDIT: I should have stated that fine lime like 100 mesh [font:Arial Black]starts acting [/font] within 2-3 weeks. That doesn't necessarily mean the ph would be fully corrected in 2-3 weeks.
Also see mention of an even finer lime below.

 

[BSK]

farmin68,

The lime used in BioLogic's pHertilizer is ground to 200 mesh. That is why it acts so fast (within a month). But it is also "used up" in a single season as well. Very fast acting but is not long-lived.

 

[farmin68]

farmin68,

The lime used in BioLogic's pHertilizer is ground to 200 mesh. That is why it acts so fast (within a month). But it is also "used up" in a single season as well. Very fast acting but is not long-lived.

Wow. I didn't know there was such a thing as 200 mesh. I'll have to ask the Co-op if they have a source for it (not the PHertilizer, just the lime). There are times when I could use it on my garden.

 

[BSK]

When developing pHfertilizer, we had a hard time finding a source. I believe only one mill in the Southeast produced it (I believe it was in Arkansas).

 

[1Roscoe]

I was very pleased with the Pulverized I got from Home Depot. It was $5/50lb and was like fine fertilizer. For a small plot the cost was ok and it worked very well in a walk behind spredder.

 

[plinker22]

Good thread guys. Lots of useful information!

 

[grundsow]

I have 8 acres of food plots that have never had the soil turned.

What's the main advantage of tilling the soil in the first place?

 

[BSK]

I have 8 acres of food plots that have never had the soil turned.

What's the main advantage of tilling the soil in the first place?

To increase soil moisture retention, break up the ground to allow easier root penetration to depth, and to incorporate lime/fertilizer into the root zone of the plants.