Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 15:36:23 -0000, "Oxymel of Squill"
wrote:

what do folk think about lime?

my gardening book has a section on the importance of liming,
releases
nutrients, counteracts acidity etc; apparently it's all things
wonderful

but local garden shops don't stock it, and the one that does isn't
getting any more once it's gone. He eyes my grey beard and says
it's
only used by old people and nobody else bothers

cheers

Lime as I know it is hydrated calcium oxide, chemically Ca(OH)2.
It's
quite strongly alkaline, and it wouldn't surprise me if, in this
litigious age, garden centres don't stock it for fear of being sued
by someone who got it in their eyes, or for health and safety
reasons
in respect of their own staff.

In my local Wyvale, I found that small bags of 'lime' looked
suspiciously like ground limestone, calcium carbonate, CaCO3. While
this would eventually do much the same as lime, it's a lot slower
acting.

If you want real lime, try a builder's merchant, especially one who
sells lime mortars.

Hydrated lime, slaked quicklime, as you say, is nasty; and there's
ordinarily no horticultural point. Garden lime in the form of ground
chalk or limestone is the one to go for: it works better for most
purposes because it's slower-acting and washes out less. Some gardens
benefit from "magnesium limestone".

Mike.