Old Reviews Soil pH/lime/toxicity questions
- Thread starter Bayes
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Too much lime is a rare thing, the 1.5tbs per gallon, imho, is a guidline. If you had super low (i.e 4.8) pH, then yes maybe you would need more but it is hard to over-do it. With a high pH (above 7) you would see Iron get locked out. I add lime to my mix and also water with e.salts and molasses. I make my own mix however, which contains things that will bring the pH of the soil down. I think it's all about ratios and a certain amount of "trial and error". Hope this helps a little, sorry I can't answer your more specific questions.
GoAuto6
Galactic Travler
[h=1]PH - Potential Hydrogen - The Manual - Polled[/h]
[h=1]How to Adjust Soil pH for Your Garden[/h] By Charlie Nardozzi from Vegetable Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition
[h=5]2 of 6 in Series: The Essentials of Garden Soil[/h] Most garden soils have a pH between 5.5 and 8.0. This number helps you determine when and how to adjust your garden soil's pH level. If the pH level is below 6, the soil is too acidic, and you need to add ground limestone. If the measurement is above 7.5, the soil is too alkaline for most vegetables, and you need to add soil sulfur.
In general, soils in climates with high rainfall — such as east of the Mississippi River (particularly east of the Appalachian Mountains) or in the Pacific Northwest — tend to be acidic. West of the Mississippi, where less rainfall occurs, soils are more alkaline. But regardless of where you live in the United States, you should easily be able to find the lime or sulfur that you need at your local garden center.
[h=2]How much limestone or sulfur do you need?[/h] All Cooperative Extension Service offices, any soil lab, and many lawn and garden centers have charts showing how much lime or sulfur to add to correct a pH imbalance. The charts tell you how many pounds of material to add per 1,000 square feet, so you need to measure the size of your vegetable garden first. Then use these tables to figure out how much lime or sulfur you need to add to your soil.
Pounds of Limestone Needed to Raise pH (per 1,000 Square Feet)
Pounds of Sulfur Needed to Lower pH (per 1,000 Square Feet) [h=2]How to apply limestone or sulfur[/h] The best way to apply sulfur and limestone to your soil is to use a drop spreader (the same machine you may use to apply lawn fertilizer). This simple machine doesn't cost very much, and it helps you spread the material more evenly. Some nurseries may even loan you a spreader or allow you to rent one inexpensively. You also can spread these materials by hand if you're careful and wear gloves. No matter how you spread the materials, make sure that you work the soil well afterward.
Your soil uses limestone and sulfur most efficiently when it's tilled into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
[h=2]Types of limestone and sulfur[/h] You can purchase and apply different types of limestone to your soil. The type you use may depend on the type of nutrients your soil needs:
[h=1]How to Adjust Soil pH for Your Garden[/h] By Charlie Nardozzi from Vegetable Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition
[h=5]2 of 6 in Series: The Essentials of Garden Soil[/h] Most garden soils have a pH between 5.5 and 8.0. This number helps you determine when and how to adjust your garden soil's pH level. If the pH level is below 6, the soil is too acidic, and you need to add ground limestone. If the measurement is above 7.5, the soil is too alkaline for most vegetables, and you need to add soil sulfur.
In general, soils in climates with high rainfall — such as east of the Mississippi River (particularly east of the Appalachian Mountains) or in the Pacific Northwest — tend to be acidic. West of the Mississippi, where less rainfall occurs, soils are more alkaline. But regardless of where you live in the United States, you should easily be able to find the lime or sulfur that you need at your local garden center.
[h=2]How much limestone or sulfur do you need?[/h] All Cooperative Extension Service offices, any soil lab, and many lawn and garden centers have charts showing how much lime or sulfur to add to correct a pH imbalance. The charts tell you how many pounds of material to add per 1,000 square feet, so you need to measure the size of your vegetable garden first. Then use these tables to figure out how much lime or sulfur you need to add to your soil.
| pH | Number of Pounds for: | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Sandy Soil | Loam Soil | Clay Soil |
| 4.0–6.5 | 60 | 161 | 230 |
| 4.5–6.5 | 50 | 130 | 190 |
| 5.0–6.5 | 40 | 100 | 150 |
| 5.5–6.5 | 30 | 80 | 100 |
| 6.0–6.5 | 15 | 40 | 60 |
Pounds of Limestone Needed to Raise pH (per 1,000 Square Feet)
| pH | Number of Pounds for: | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Sandy Soil | Loam Soil | Clay Soil |
| 8.5–6.5 | 45 | 60 | 70 |
| 8.0–6.5 | 30 | 35 | 45 |
| 7.5–6.5 | 10 | 20 | 25 |
| 7.0–6.5 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
Pounds of Sulfur Needed to Lower pH (per 1,000 Square Feet)
Your soil uses limestone and sulfur most efficiently when it's tilled into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
[h=2]Types of limestone and sulfur[/h] You can purchase and apply different types of limestone to your soil. The type you use may depend on the type of nutrients your soil needs:
- Dolomitic limestone contains magnesium, as well as calcium. Magnesium is one of the nutrients that a soil lab may test for, and even though it isn't in the top three (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), it's as important as calcium for plant growth. Use dolomitic limestone to adjust the pH if your soil test shows that your soil is low in magnesium.
- Pulverized limestone is the most common and inexpensive acid neutralizer. Use this limestone if you don't need to add magnesium to your soil.
- Pelletized pulverized limestone is a little more expensive than ordinary pulverized limestone, but it's cleaner, less dusty, and easier to use than both dolomitic and powdered limestone.
GoAuto6
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Thread moved to :
[h=2]Fertilizers And Soil[/h]
[h=2]Fertilizers And Soil[/h]
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Hey bro,wel to answer your first part of your question man,is if your soil is low..like lower than 5.5 for example.your chasing a problem you should have tried to avioid right from where ya got the soil.if your making it from existing soil in your back yard thats different and can be built a more natural and time consuming way yet better if taken the time to do so.just like with a low PH,you can add as much lime as ya need within reason.but you'll have to buffer n blend that out in time prior to planting.Toxicity is bad any which way you want to look at it.calcium,magnesium,lime poisoning n so forth,it should all be avoided.the balance is there for a reason to maintain a healthy root system and to provide the much needed foods for the roots to grab hold.
question #2 well if your getting Lime thats loaded with Calcium and magnesium you essentially answered your own question.you'll not have to use cal mag supps for a time since the lime and avaliable cal n mag will be avaliable for several weeks,BUT in varying levels over the course.just watch for cal mag defs which is traditionally easy to spot too so you should be fine there.but to avoid any issues with your soil being loaded up,id personally switch to a decent prilled lime or a standard not boosted and more purely mined Lime product not amended with additives like cal n mag n so on
question #3 well again you can use as much as ya need to within reason.ya dont want your soil all white n stuff LOL! you can add as much as you need,but keeping in mind to slightly use rice,bokashi and other inoculate types and food s to level that out.the more you use the more your going to want it to sit and level out.but dont expect it to naturally disperse over time.needs to be thinned with a natural items and food buffers and thinning agents.
I personally dont have an issue with water.but the small traces avaliable in most water supplies unless bossted on purpose id say your gonna be fine imo assuming all your standard numbers and no chlorimines and chlorine are present.
well did that cover it sorta?LOL!
question #2 well if your getting Lime thats loaded with Calcium and magnesium you essentially answered your own question.you'll not have to use cal mag supps for a time since the lime and avaliable cal n mag will be avaliable for several weeks,BUT in varying levels over the course.just watch for cal mag defs which is traditionally easy to spot too so you should be fine there.but to avoid any issues with your soil being loaded up,id personally switch to a decent prilled lime or a standard not boosted and more purely mined Lime product not amended with additives like cal n mag n so on
question #3 well again you can use as much as ya need to within reason.ya dont want your soil all white n stuff LOL! you can add as much as you need,but keeping in mind to slightly use rice,bokashi and other inoculate types and food s to level that out.the more you use the more your going to want it to sit and level out.but dont expect it to naturally disperse over time.needs to be thinned with a natural items and food buffers and thinning agents.
I personally dont have an issue with water.but the small traces avaliable in most water supplies unless bossted on purpose id say your gonna be fine imo assuming all your standard numbers and no chlorimines and chlorine are present.
well did that cover it sorta?LOL!
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