High Calcium Beet Lime Application

[Stocker Steve]

There are both mined and by product lime sources in my area. I had the "beet lime" created by sugar processing plants analyzed and it came back as 74 % calcium, 12 % magnesium, 9 % sulfur, 3 % potassium...

Would this be a good product to drive calcium and sulfur up? My fields now range from 1040 to 2780 ppm for calcium.

Have you ever seen magnesium getting too high?

 

[Bluestem]

What is the magnesium level in your soil now? Try for a 7/1 ratio calcium/magnesium. For more calcium my first choice would be limestone. Long term use I would be concerned with heavy metals in the beet lime. How does the beet lime compare in price? Do you need additional K?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Currently have a 8/1 calcium to magnesium ratio on the lowest ph field and an 6/1 ratio on the highest ph field.
P is high but K is low to medium so I need to add more.
Beet lime is a little cheaper than mined lime but it also has less neutralizing power.

 

[john250]

Currently have a 100/1 calcium to manganese ratio on the lowest ph field and an 8/1 ratio on the highest ph field.
P is high but K is low to medium so I need to add more.
Beet lime is a little cheaper than mined lime but it also has less neutralizing power.

Manganese? Or Magnesium?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Magnesium now

 

[BC]

You need to find out the Effective Calcium Carbonate Efficiency ratem for the beet lime and compare itto the mined lime. That way you can determine how much of each it would to raise the pH to a set level and then you can figure which is the best buy. I know here in Texas we have several lime sources and their ECCE ratings vary greatly. It takes about 1 1/2 tons of a product with an ECCE of 60 to do what 1 ton of lime with an ECCE of 100.