Lime question, organic vs non-organic?

[perryjosh64]

What is the difference between organic and non-organic pelletized lime and which is better for liming pastures? Got a small plot of land with some trees on it so can’t get the ag lime spreader in there so have to use tractor with 3 pt spreader with pelletized lime. Been using the pelletized Dolomitic limestone from Tractor Supply but found cheaper product (Pavestone non-organic pelletized limestone) at Home Depot. Is one better than the other? Will the Pavestone pelletized lime hold up being spread with 3pt tractor spreader?

 

[1948CaseVAI]

https://yesdirt.com/limestone-vs-dolomite/

Read and decide.

 

[paul]

that is kind of a loaded question.

Lime is all about how small it is ground, so it dissolves in weeks and months instead of years and decades. The better it is ground up, the faster it works and helps you. If it’s big bits, it might dissolve so slowly the ground can stay acidic more than that big chunks can dissolve.

Typically pelletized lime is really fine ground. It costs more and it dissolves faster. So it can affect your dirt more rapidly than typical ‘ag lime.’. It typically costs a lot more. And, it typically will not last as many years in your soil. Because it is so finely ground, it dissolves rapidly. You don’t put as much on in an application, but you need to apply it more often.

Ag lime might last 5-6 years, but takes 6 months before you see any effect to start. Pelletized lime might last 1-3 years, but will be effective in a month or so.

When roots grow they put out a weak acid that loosens up nutrients locked in the soil around them. If your soil is already very acidic, the roots can’t put out enough acid to release these nutrients. This is why a good neutral soil ph is desired.

‘Organic’ is sort of a red flag word in your message. Some folk will only ever use organic products or rather die. Me, I often find such products to be a bit of a scam, something that is over hyped and less value to me. You need to sort that deal out for yourself.

Lime is ground up limestone, so any extra labels a marketing agency places on one bag over another concerns me, are they spending money on the product or on selling you a fancy label.

There are different sources of the limestone. Some add magnesium to your soil, and some add calcium to your soil. It’s a free extra ingredient you get along with the lime. If your soil is short of one or the other, or already has excess of one or the other, I would worry more about getting the right type of limestone rather than any fancy label it has on it. This would be the important part, and one you aren’t even considering……

So, my farm averages a ph of 7.4, with a few spots testing 8.1ph. So I’ve never really messed with lime. I just try to do things right, and have studied on it some. If you think getting lime applied is a chore, try dealing with high ph soils some time. There are no easy fixes!

Paul