Gardeners recommend you put the dolomite lime in the soil 3 months before planting, apparently it needs that long to integrate.
... The three plants in that soil mix got calmagdef so i had to introduce chemical beneficials into my organic grow
It sounds like people use dolomite for a couple reasons: a source of cal/mag and ph adjustment. It's never been clear to me if statements that dlime "takes awhile" are about the supply of minerals or the effect on ph.
When I encountered my severe acidity problem I started some tests of my soil mix using 0 to 8 Tbsp (per gal of medium) dlime. Yesterday was 10 days and I'm just starting to see ph changes which I would attribute to dlime. (Ph of runoff is 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 for 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8 Tbsp/gal).
Until yesterday, I didn't see that clear progression. I'm curious how high the PH will go with those doses. (I doubt 8 Tbsp/gal is a sane dosage.). I'll continue watering my samples every 2-3 days and see where the ph goes.
Also, the texture of the dolomite lime appears to make a substantial difference:
the smaller the particle size the more effective the stone is at reacting in the soil.[SUP]
[13][/SUP] Measuring the size of particles is based on the size of a mesh that the limestone would pass through. The mesh size is the number of wires per inch.[SUP]
[14][/SUP] Stone retained on an 8 mesh will be about the size of BB pellets.
Material passing a 60 mesh screen will have the appearance of face powder. Particles larger than 8 mesh are of little or no value, particles between 8 mesh and 60 mesh are somewhat effective and
particles smaller than 60 mesh are 100 percent effective.
--
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_lime#Quality
For what it's worth, my test used Hi-Yield Agricultural Limestone.[1] 60% of its material is finer than 60 mesh (about 90% of that is finer than 100 mesh). Overall, it has the texture of fine or powdery beach sand. Some sand, a lot of powder.
I've since purchased a 50lb bag of Spartan Speedi-Grow Agricultural Lime which is a mix of calcitic and dolomitic lime. It's extremely fine like talcum powder. (90% is finer than 60 mesh, and about 95% of that is finer than 100 mesh.). The hydro store sells it for about $15.
I've read that a balance between calcitic and dolomitic is good. But, the result is significantly less magnesium. Maybe Muddy could comment on the difference between the two products.
[1] Hi Yield Agricultural Limestone
Calcium (Ca) 21%
-- 21% water soluable calcium
Magnesium (Mg) 13%
Calcium carbonate (CaCo3) 54%
Magnesium carbonate (MgCo3) 45%
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) 109%
[2] Spartan Speedi-Grow Agricultural Limestone
Calcium (Ca) 30%
Magnesium (Mg) 3%
Calcium carbonate (CaCo3) 75%
Magnesium Carbonate (MgCo3) 12%
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) 95%
