On 1/8/06 18:41, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


In article ,
"David \(in Normandy\)" writes:
|
| Can I use quicklime to help break up clay soil?
| I meant to buy slaked lime but accidentally bought quicklime instead (I
live
| in Normandy and haven't mastered all the French gardening words yet :-).

Well, yes, but watch out for that stuff! You REALLY don't want to breathe
any of it or get any near your eyes, and it will get very hot when any
dampness gets near it. You need it to get rained on or water it before
it blows around. I wouldn't handle it myself.
snip

I seem to recall that while Jersey farmers lime their fields, there is some
caution to be applied other than that. Too much lime produces potato
scab....I think? And harking back to a much earlier thread on the subject
of lime, slaked lime preserves, quick lime destroys - thank you, Dornford
Yates!

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)