When there is no lime?

[SD51555]

You may soon have a one acre plot to fart around with. You may soon need a lot of lime to bring the PH up to better levels. There isn't a source for bulk lime within 100 miles of you. What do you do?

More importantly, what do the farmers in my area do to raise a low PH? I suppose I should ask the farmer I'm meeting with up there soon.

 

[SD51555]

I've thought about that. I'm at least 35 miles one way to the nearest pallet of pell lime. I know I've got the payload capacity in my truck to do it, but I don't think the ground could tolerate it. I'm afraid I'd high center myself crossing a pot hole or just sink away in the soft spots.

 

[Terrific_tom]

I've thought about that. I'm at least 35 miles one way to the nearest pallet of pell lime. I know I've got the payload capacity in my truck to do it, but I don't think the ground could tolerate it. I'm afraid I'd high center myself crossing a pot hole or just sink away in the soft spots.

Do you have access to an ATV to haul lime in from road?

 

[SD51555]

I don't have an ATV. With a lot a manuvering, I could get one.

 

[sandbur]

SD-Where is your location?

I have some tiny plots back in the woods. I take a plastic kids sled and haul pel lime in. An ideal time is early morning when there is still snow on the ground and the snow has a glaze. Spread the lime if it is flat ground, or I just stockpile it and cover it up a bit.

 

[EOB]

Sounds like your options are limited. If you can't get access to a atv, tractor and/or spreader you are looking at good old fashion manual labor. In which case you might want to give the fast acting lime a shot. You don't need as much and it is quicker like the name implies. I am not an expert on this but I heard it doesn't last as long. I do know that we used it on our new plots and it does work.

 

[foggy]

The first time I put down lime......I bought two skids of bagged lime product at Fleet Farm. My wife and I used a trailer to haul the lime across the field.....and we cut open the bags and applied by shaking the contents across the field. Was a hot and humid day.....and we are not getting any younger. Messy, dirty, hot, hard work. My wife threatened to boycott the whole deal.....and I almost joined her. Vowed to never do it that way again......and searched out an EZ Flow lime spreader and later re-built it to suit my needs. Still.....the hard work paid off and we grew some beautiful stuff on those plots.

If you have a co-op nearby....or a feed store.....go in and talk with the manager on possible methods to apply some lime. Maybe he knows of somebody?....or they may have a lime/fertilizer "buggy".

 

[wiscwhip]

You may also want to consider other types of lime. Things like slaked lime and burnt/quicklime have a way higher calcium content thus you would use considerably less bags. It is more expensive than pellet or bags of ag lime, but the trade off is that you use much less. Also fly ash and other types of "industrial" and municipal wastes will work as well. Do some research and you may find someplace in your area to obtain some of these other liming materials.

 

[LessRice]

I have wanted to try Supercal 98g which is a calcium lime high mesh that 400lbs equals a ton of ag lime. I searched high and low last year with no success. Anyone else ever heard or know where it can be found?

 

[Terrific_tom]

I have wanted to try Supercal 98g which is a calcium lime high mesh that 400lbs equals a ton of ag lime. I searched high and low last year with no success. Anyone else ever heard or know where it can be found?

These are suppose to be dealers:

UNITED AG SERVICES
615 E County Highway B, SHELL LAKE, WI, 54871
(715) 468-2301

BURNETT DAIRY
11631 STATE ROAD 70, GRANTSBURG, WI, 54840
715-689-2605

 

[wiscwhip]

I have wanted to try Supercal 98g which is a calcium lime high mesh that 400lbs equals a ton of ag lime. I searched high and low last year with no success. Anyone else ever heard or know where it can be found?

I don't know where you're located, but if you get on there website, they have always had a list of dealer locations on there somewhere. They have dealers all over the place now.

 

[LessRice]

I always use the Burnett Dairy since its 10 min from my farm. Anytime I call any of the listed dealers on there website, I get the looooong pause, then let me check, then yea we don't carry that/ I've never heard of that.

 

[wiscwhip]

It says right on the SuperCal website that Burnett Dairy is a supplier/dealer. Countryside Coop in New Richmond also. Woodville, Bloomer, and Elk Mound also on there dealer list. Maybe the coop folks are just out of the loop.

 

[LessRice]

Yea I'll keep searching. Looks like a cheaper alternative to regular pell lime. Have you heard of anyone with any experience?

 

[wiscwhip]

I don't believe it is cheaper pound for pound, but it is higher quality lime(higher calcium content) than most pell lime so you would maybe use less thus making it the cheaper alternative in that regard. I'm still not sold on the 400lbs = 1 ton theory, but if you do the math with the ENP numbers it most likely will be less than some other lime that is not being mined from deposits as pure as the SuperCal deposit.

 

[LessRice]

I have always used 75% of pell lime to the ag recommendation, read it somewhere but not too sure. So if i need 2 tons of lime per acre on a 1/2 acre plot that 1500# 38 bags of pell lime for probably $150. Same figure, supposedly, would need 400# for 1/2 acre of supercal at $10 per 100# so $40. Hard to tell if I can't find a dealer with prices lol.

Sorry OP for going off on a tangent...

 

[SD51555]

Let's back up a bit SD. What's the 1 acre currently consist of/look like? What is your intended seed(s) variety(s)? How are you going to work up this one acre plot(if you have a tractor to work it up, that'd solve the problem of how to get the lime to the plot)?

No equipment other than a truck and a homemade harrow. I'd like to grow soil builders that happen to be food plot options.

This spring: cowpeas
This fall: winter rye and annual clover
Next spring: soybeans, sorghum, and sunflowers
3rd spring: Oats
3rd fall: Reseed spring oats, brassica, and tillage radish

Repeat.

That's the current idea. I figure with the cowpeas, rye, and annual clover I'd get away with one year of poor soil. From there, I'm hoping to build some residual nitrogen from the cowpeas and soybeans. I'm hoping to boost topsoil, choke weeds, and take up nitrogen with the rye. I'm hoping the clover will continue to add nitrogen for the spring sorghum and sunflowers. Hoping the soybeans will provide nitrogen for the oats in the spring. Hoping the sorghum is a winter food source and helps drive deep roots into the soil. Hoping the sunflowers will protect the soybeans.

Oats are simply a 3rd rotation to break the pest cycle. Hoping the soil is built up enough to support a brassica crop for winter forage. Hoping the tillage radish can do some subsoiling to enable deeper rooting and nutrient transfer in future crops.

 

[SD51555]

It's a pull type. I've got a mix of grass and ferns, with a little brush.

I hope to get it all scraped off with a skid loader around memorial day. You think cowpeas won't take if I can scarify the soil a half inch and pack in with the truck tires? I'm not sold on the idea myself, but I thought i'd try. Maybe add oats and crimson in case it the peas don't take? I really want to wait on the rye till fall.

 

[Terrific_tom]

It's a pull type. I've got a mix of grass and ferns, with a little brush.

I hope to get it all scraped off with a skid loader around memorial day. You think cowpeas won't take if I can scarify the soil a half inch and pack in with the truck tires? I'm not sold on the idea myself, but I thought i'd try. Maybe add oats and crimson in case it the peas don't take? I really want to wait on the rye till fall.

I think your main problem will be the ferns until you get the ph up on your new plot. I have never planted cow peas but if they are not extremely fast growing they will have a real hard time out growing the ferns. If it would be me I think I would concentrate on getting your lime down and spray a couple of times with gly and do a late summer or early fall planting.You could do Dipper"s early rye planting the 1st week of August. I have read and heard of many failed food plots due to trying to get something planted right away. Just my opinion.

 

[wiscwhip]

I have read and heard of many failed food plots due to trying to get something planted right away. Just my opinion.

Hey now, I resemble that remark! At least until I learned my lesson.