Pelltized Lime: Do I have to disk it in?

[Victor Van Meter]

I am opening up some timber to plant a small food plot and want to get the lime down now so it has time to work itself into the soil before spring. Do I need to broadcast, and then disk it in, or can I just broadcast and let the rain wash it into the soil? Thanks.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Let the rain dissolve it.


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[yoderjac]

I am opening up some timber to plant a small food plot and want to get the lime down now so it has time to work itself into the soil before spring. Do I need to broadcast, and then disk it in, or can I just broadcast and let the rain wash it into the soil? Thanks.

Well, it depends. Lime moves very slowly through heavy clay soils and very fast through sandy soils. If you have heavy clay soil and your plot is on a slope, rain could actually wash the lime away . With very sandy soil and a flat field, the lime could move through the soil and past plant root depth by spring. I'm generally and advocate of minimizing tillage where possible. Tilling lime into the soil will generally speed the action as well as how fast it moves through the soil. In some cases you my not need to disk it in at all. If you do disk it in, I would do very shallow tillage. Deeper tillage will burn OM faster. There is no single answer to this that is good in all cases.

Either way, I would plant a crop that is tolerant to low pH.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

No - you don't HAVE to.

 

[Smallplot]

There is a difference between Ag lime (crushed limestone) and pelletized lime (dust particles adhered together for easy spreading).

Considering this with Ag lime anything over 3 ton per acre really needs worked in. Working it into the soil lets more soil particles surround each piece of lime for quicker/efficient activation of properties leading to moving PH.

Unless you are having to add lots, no it does not have to be worked in.


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[sagittarius]

It is always better to broadcast lime on the surface rather than wait, or not apply at all. But as with Fertilizer, it is better to incorporate lime into the soil when possible.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

Thanks for the info guys. Hoping to get some down this week.