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Thread: Lime on a vegetable garden

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    Default Lime on a vegetable garden

    Novice question here, I've been growing stuff for decades but I am used to an alkaline soil, where no soil amendments were really required. Just throw on horseshit and plant stuff.
    Bought this place April last year and got a late plot in. Mostly experimental, some stuff did great, some not.
    Anyway, I tilled last year's garden under today. Plan to layer with composted horse manure and till under. Then a layer of leaves, then a layer of straw(used bedding). Rake back the leaves and straw in the spring before tilling to plant.
    My PH ranges from 3.5-4.5 but most consistently 4.0 with one upper end being lower. I believe topsoil was added when the house was built, which accounts for the higher readings, otherwise soil is Sandy clay.

    My question is how and when should I apply lime? Broadcast after tilling? Till.into soil before adding leaves and straw? Or wait till spring and retest soil ?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
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    Florence,SC
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    Did you get a soil test done? It’s a lot more accurate than the soil pH probes.

    If test results indicate a need for limestone, it can be applied in the fall or winter months. Generally, for best results, limestone should be applied two to three months prior to planting to allow time for it to neutralize the acidity.

    The most important factor determining the effectiveness of lime is placement. Maximum contact of lime with the soil is essential. Most liming materials are only slightly soluble in water, so incorporation in the soil is a must for lime reaction. Even when properly mixed with the soil, lime will have little effect on pH if the soil is dry. Moisture is essential for the lime-soil reaction to occur. In the case of lawns, it can only be surface applied and watered into the soil.

  3. #3
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  4. #4
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    Nov 2015
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    Thanks for the link and Esso, I think you answered what I was mostly looking for; whether to broadcast or to till in. If soil contact is essential then I will till in. The tests I used were the fancier ones from the hardware store, hardly professional.

  5. #5
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    Apr 2008
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    Take a sample to your county extension office. $6 and takes about two weeks. It will tell you exactly how much lime and fertilizer you need.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Take a soil test. If you got a 4.0, you'd better start stockpiling lime...
    Quote Originally Posted by ecu1984 View Post
    Go Tigers!

  7. #7
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    Nov 2015
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    I couldn't find my notes when I posted. PH was 4.5-5.5. It actually did real well this past year w just 10-10-10. But I'm getting a much earlier start this year.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Lexington County
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    5,230

    Default

    If your pH isn't correct it doesn't matter what kind or how much fertilizer you are using...the plants will not be able to absorb what they need.

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