On 14/08/08 17:31, Bill wrote:
In article , Ed ex@directory
wrote:

On 14/08/08 17:02, Bill wrote:
In article ,
Ed ex@directory wrote:

On 14/08/08 15:08, Bill wrote:
In article ,
Cheryl Isaak wrote:

Not that I have really had a summer here, but the sheeps' sorrel is
running
rampant in the lawn and the garden and the quickest way to fix it is a
good
heavy application of lime. Usually this happens in the late fall and I
just
broadcast lime and in the spring, I'm all set for the season. Generally,
I
only have to lime the garden once every 2-3 years, depending on snow
coverage and weather in general

But, it's August, it's been raining buckets and I suspect anything I
added
in the spring got washed into the stream (which is why I stay away from
chemicals) or the neighbor's yard.


So - would you lime now and hope or just weed and lime in late fall as
usual.

Cheryl
(southern NH)
An issue of the type of lime used may matter. Quicklime is quick to
assimilate and dissipate . Whereas dolomite is slower and breaks down
slower. We always went with the dolomite type along with green sand and
granite dust. The intent was long term improvement.
However our area is VERY acid and I am sure our soil can use a test for
sure.

Bill

Speaking as a research chemist , you surely don't use quicklime ?
Quicklime (aka calcium oxide) is extremely caustic; it can burn the
skin and cause other damages. Maybe you mean slaked lime?

Ed
Well Ed If I go to my local garden center and ask for 20 lbs. of lime
what do they offer?

Bill

Bill,


Well, I am pretty sure that they do NOT sell you quicklime (Calcium
Oxide). No way!!

What you are almost certainly getting is slaked lime, which is an
industrial product obtained by adding water to quicklime and is then
ground down to a white powder. In common parlance this is also often
referred to as garden lime.


Ed
Hi Ed!

Any thoughts about Dolomite vs. garden lime ?


Bill mate,

In my case, I am just altering the pH of the soil where I am going to
grow Brassicas (cabbages, calabrese etc). So I spread garden lime there
in the late autumn and, when I plant up in the following spring, I put a
big trowel-full of lime in each planting hole. Brassicas prefer a
limey soil and the lime is supposedly good for keeping club root at bay.
It works for me.

But I only do that in the Brassica bed as I practice crop rotation. So
then, the potato bed will NOT get any lime at all.

Hence, I do not use Dolomite which is long lasting and very very slow to
break down. I practice a 5 yr crop rotation on my ground and only use
garden lime on the Brassica bed.

Ed