dolomite lime vs hydrated lime

[greenmystic]

I found a soil mix recipe that calls for dolomite lime. I went to the local garden store today and they only had hydrated lime so I got that. Will it work the same as dolomite lime? Can anyone tell me what the difference is?

Thanks!d

 

[supermanlives]

hydrated lime is extremely fast acting and dont stay in the soil too long . be very carefull if you use it . its easilly overdone. and yes it can make plants die if overapplied

 

[mad librettist]

it's possible to get away with hydrated lime but so is riding the subway on the outside (surfing).

 

[kayaN0W]

got my dolomite lime at home depot...had to grind it up before puttin it in but id recommend takin another trip to the ole gettin place

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

Hi: I very much second superman. If you are not very careful hydrated lime will burn the plants and it is not a one to one substitution in your recipe. I couldn't find Dolomite anywhere so I ended up getting Agricultural Limestone at the nursery. It's a bit pricey at $5 for 6 lb bag but the stuff lasts forever. It's basically the same thing as Dolomite.

 

[intotheunknown]

yeah ditch the hydrated lime and go with dolomite lime. check your local hydro stores or whatever youve got for "soil sweetener" by sunleaves= 100% powdered dolomite lime. comes in a 5lb bag. awesome stuff.

 

[Hammerhead]

Pelletized lime is everywhere. I have used both the powder and pellet. Both work. The major difference is the powder starts to work faster the Pellets. If you have a good soil mix Pellets will work fine. Most good soil mixes will have Powdered lime in it already they just dont ever put enough IMO.

 

[greenmystic]

Pelletized lime is everywhere. I have used both the powder and pellet. Both work. The major difference is the powder starts to work faster the Pellets. If you have a good soil mix Pellets will work fine. Most good soil mixes will have Powdered lime in it already they just dont ever put enough IMO.

Thanks, just the info I needed! I'll not worry about finding powder. I think HD has some pelletized lime. The soil is Happy Frog and Ocean Forest so it should be good...

 

[Maina]

Kinda going threw same thing I took straight peat and did my organic soil mix d. Lime oyster shell and garden lime . Let set cook 4 weeks. Well planted my plants into it and after 2 weeks lock out . Cheaked pH soil 5.5 not good . I need to bump pH to 6.5. I'm going to use h lime .I spent all week working with it and doing test runs in 2 gallon pots with the 5.5 soil. I found after a lot of trying .6 grams of h lime in 1 qrt water (10% volume) snaped it up to 6.5 fast! And its holding . I'm thinking the lime I had in it already will hold it and buffer and not let it drop back down. I will day this I took my time did a lot of math .a lot of test runs and I have very good soil pH meter by blue lab. I calibrate it On each test pot she is spot on. I Wade all my measurements out on a digital scale Knowing it has to be the same. I will say this is you arnt all the ball with this stuff you ate screwd .

 

[VortexPower420]

I would skip both and go for Gypsum, marl, hi cal lime or Carbonatite.

Hydrated lime has little place in a living soil.

Another point to be made is that Hi-cal lime and Dolomite is NOT the same.

Dolo is a 2:1 Ca:Mg ratio and is very non reactive and Hi-cal lime has less the 5% Mg and is much more reactive.

A side note pellatized and powered are not that different just the pellatiize is easier to work with,

When in need of a quick acting Ca I would choose Gypsum

Timbuktu

 

[Maina]

I would skip both and go for Gypsum, marl, hi cal lime or Carbonatite.
Gypsum to bring up pH ? Not to share on that
Hydrated lime has little place in a living soil.

Another point to be made is that Hi-cal lime and Dolomite is NOT the same. I know that never said it was.

Dolo is a 2:1 Ca:Mg ratio and is very non reactive and Hi-cal lime has less the 5% Mg and is much more reactive.

A side note pellatized and powered are not that different just the pellatiize is easier to work with,

When in need of a quick acting Ca I would choose Gypsum. I already said I have dolomite .and garden lime oyster shell in the mix . And gypsum to. I add 3 cups of each in a bucket mix well and add 1-2 table spoons per gallon of mix . Its in there. It has only jumped my pH from. 4.5 to 5.5 in like 8 weeks ( I was wrong its Ben longer than 4) I need a 1.0 jump . The other lime cal should hold it as a buffer after the jump. I really can't see 3 grams killing my soil . Explain why it would ? My jump will not be over 1.0 in soil that's 5.5 . Ah where is the burn ,?

Timbuktu

please explain ?

 

[VortexPower420]

maina- what is in your soil mix? If suppose you should use marl or hi-cal lime instead of gypsum as gyspum will not change pH.

 

[Maina]

I know gypsum will not change pH. I just told you my mix on lime and cal. To change pH. Wow this is going no place fast.Any one want to chim in that understands what I'm doing ?

 

[VortexPower420]

WOW homie, You might want to mellow out a little.... I was wondering what else is in your mix.... not just the liming agents, something else could be throwing it off. With a tude like that you will be lucky to get helpful advice.

Do you understand what pH is in living medium? What kind of compost/ VC did you use in your mix? When you let it "cook" did you leave it is a air tight container?

The pH being low could be other thing at play you have to go through all the variables if you want to figure it out. I NEVER NEVER check pH it will just make you crazy. In a healthy living system microbes make their own pH values, and low pH is a sign of lack of fertility.

I look at "liming" agents as fertility additions, A supply of the most important nutrient Ca. Maybe you added way to much Mg and your soils has little air space and is anaerobic in places?

You have to ask question to find answers and have a open mind.

timbuktu

 

[EclipseFour20]

Don't think Hydrated Lime is an organic product. That said, a little bit goes a long way since it fast acting--but will "peter out" before the traditional liming agents.

Cheers!

 

[Maina]

I see you are trying to help. I under stand pH.I under stand organics .I under stand what happens when the soil is at 5.5 pH plants in the soil and you start getting lock out. And then you get it to come up to 6.5 and lock out goes away . I'm living it. Just because pro mix says its 6.5 they are full shit . I just tested it at 6.1 . Peat 4.5 and lower. I know not to seal up my living soil. To me I'm seeing great things when soil is at 6.5 . Kinda funny that's what the charts say also.I have seen a difference in outdoor garden organics and sealed room organics big time. Sealed room co2 air flow organics can shine . When they say add lime in the fall and in the spring its ready .ahhh. slow acting. When I cook a mix 4-8 weeks dun plants are going in. My cal. In my soil mix is from oyster shell - gypsum - dolomite - garden lime. Can't get more balance than that. My compost good worm castings good. I spent a week fine tuning my approach on using dehydrated Lime to bump it to 6.5. If people think they are ready to play with this stuff they are not! You better have good meters and your shit together .I'm hitting 6.5 on every 15 gallon smart . I pH cheek the soil . Do some math add it to water pour in and in seconds bang its there. Since my soil has all the good cal. In it for buffering it should should pH there. Again I wouldn't tell people to use h lime you could screw shit up fast.but it can be dun in a pinch.

 

[EclipseFour20]

Peat is a crazy ingredient, as it naturally has a very low PH. Lost a few runs playing with pure peat (trying to replace PromixBX), sooo instead of swimming against the tide, I went back to PromixBX (85% peat) with PH of 6.5--and now I am surfing the waves!

Not saying peat is bad, just saying I eliminated over 80% of my soil PH issues when I replaced peat for PromixBX; the price premium was not confiscatory and it eliminated "one more thing" for me.

Cheers!

 

[VortexPower420]

Well I think I found your problem but you lost it in the quote from me. If you are only adding 1-2 tlbs of all of those liming agent together you do not have enough Ca, hence the low pH you are seeing and the reason what such a fast acting Ca source would raise your pH.

A low pH means not enough of your CEC sites are filled with Ca and H is the dominate Cation.

I have a bunch of different Ca sources in my mix 1 tlbs of Gypsum, Marl, High cal lime and other Ca sources are Carbonatite (20% Ca), Crab shell(23% Ca), SRP (20% Ca)and a little bit from greensand. Not to mention the abundance of Ca from homemade highly amended worm castings.

You definitely can get a more "balanced" "lime mix" by cutting the Dolo, way to much Mg and it is not active in the soil for years. So there goes one of you liming agents working now. So if that is 1/4 of your mix then you are only applying 2 -5 tsp of Ca sources and is not enough. Ca is the king of all nutrients, something to remember.

If I were you I would add some hi cal lime now so when the hydrated shit wears off you will still have some for your plant.

When you get your cations filled to the 65% Ca, 15% Mg, 5% k,5% Na and the rest filled with minor cations and up to 10% H you soil will hum. Look up the works of William Albrecht, it will change your understanding of pH and fertility.

Timbuktu

 

[EclipseFour20]

Vertox,

Don't be too hasty pushing Dolomite off the list. Yes the Mg can be up their (guaranteed analysis), but since we both know it will not be active for months/years--then Plant Available Magnesium should not be horrifically high. A huge benefit of Dolomite is that it does last a while (real cheap too) and helps keep the soil PH to 6.0-6.5.

Now, remember--not everyone recycles their soil, and each soil mix has its own unique set of PH issues.

Calcium...shhhhh, your letting out one of the great secrets to "high brix" gardening....lol!

Cheers man!

 

[Maina]

Thank you we are all on the same page. I was really thinking that buy making a balance Cal. Mix I would be safe . So when I put oyster shell. Dolomite lime.gypsum.garden lime in a 5 gallon bucket with equal parts wixed it up .then taking 1-2 table spoons per gallon of soil less mix . It just didn't come up any hire than 5.5 some 4.5 the ones that got 2 table spoons whent to 5.5 . I was flipping out because I have 6,000 gallons if soil that's not right. Yes 6,000 gallons. Not like I'm going to start over lol. But I got it the h lime is jumping it up to what ever point I need it to by mixing the right amount to the volume of soil to 10% volume of water. I'm measuring the h lime in grames and soil water in gallons and pH cheaking each pot they are 10- 15 gallon pots. The soil is in a storage building away from grow easer to change pH 15 gallons at a time.I just can't get my self to spend 31 a bale for pro mix. . Peat 10 bucks