Lime application interval

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denoginnizer

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My soil sample says I need 2 tons of lime per acre. The lime man said he would bring out and spread it for 19 dollaers per ton . Does this sound in the neihgborhood of what yall are paying? How long does a lime application generally last ?
 
My area is 16.00 per ton. It depends on the miles you are from the quarry here. It usually cost the same for the spreading and trucking as it does for the lime here. It will not be the same in all locations. The life of the lime will depend on the type of grass and the fertilizer and if you are grazing or cutting hay. You will go by soil tests. We test ever 3 years.
 
denoginnizer":1898ated said:
My soil sample says I need 2 tons of lime per acre. The lime man said he would bring out and spread it for 19 dollaers per ton . Does this sound in the neihgborhood of what yall are paying? How long does a lime application generally last ?

I put out 2 tons/ acre in mid TN recently. Cost was $22/ton. I limed half of mine 5yrs ago and soil tested 6.5 ph this yr. I limed the other half this yr.
 
Cowdirt":m20jv5fr said:
denoginnizer":m20jv5fr said:
My soil sample says I need 2 tons of lime per acre. The lime man said he would bring out and spread it for 19 dollaers per ton . Does this sound in the neihgborhood of what yall are paying? How long does a lime application generally last ?

I put out 2 tons/ acre in mid TN recently. Cost was $22/ton. I limed half of mine 5yrs ago and soil tested 6.5 ph this yr. I limed the other half this yr.
Did you notice any improvement in the weaning weights of your calves or any improment in your grass?
 
If I were going to only spend money on one thing, I would spend it on lime. By far it gives you the biggest bang for your buck.
 
I limed my farm a 2 tons per acre using high mag lime it cost 38.00 per ton and got 100 ton.
 
denoginnizer":1fjs27vd said:
Cowdirt":1fjs27vd said:
denoginnizer":1fjs27vd said:
My soil sample says I need 2 tons of lime per acre. The lime man said he would bring out and spread it for 19 dollaers per ton . Does this sound in the neihgborhood of what yall are paying? How long does a lime application generally last ?

I put out 2 tons/ acre in mid TN recently. Cost was $22/ton. I limed half of mine 5yrs ago and soil tested 6.5 ph this yr. I limed the other half this yr.
Did you notice any improvement in the weaning weights of your calves or any improment in your grass?


Denoginizer, It's kinda hard to say. Most of what I limed 5 yrs ago gets hayed and grazed and the rest only gets grazed. Haying takes some of the natural nutrients whereas most of the nutrients get recycled when grazing only. I do have a small pasture that got limed and doesn't get hayed. It's probably my best pasture. One advantage of haying is better control of wild weeds, ie, buttercup, etc. My results are not fact based such as weight gain since I rotate my cattle everywhich way for grazing.
 
When we lime a hay field I take a soil sample each year. When the ph stops going up or starts down I lime again. It usually goes up for 2-3 years after liming
 
make sure the lime you are getting meets the ENM requirements that you need around here the lime runs from 400 ENM to 650 ENM depending on what quarry it comes from
I am like Dun I usually have to lime every 3-4 yrs after I get the soil to where It needs to be

If I have to put on more than a 2 ton per acre on a pasture I will apply it in split applications a yr apart

if it is crop ground I will apply more than 2 tons at one time and work it into the soil
 
I am having a hard time justifiying spending 38 dollars an acre on the lime. Seems like with the low calf prices it will take forever to recoup my input cost. As a farmer I really want to take good care of the land but as a business man I need to make a profit or I want be able to keep farming.
 
denoginnizer":1aby4gi3 said:
I am having a hard time justifiying spending 38 dollars an acre on the lime. Seems like with the low calf prices it will take forever to recoup my input cost. As a farmer I really want to take good care of the land but as a business man I need to make a profit or I want be able to keep farming.

Go with half that much. It will still make a difference and will help to some degree in not letting the ph get too low. Rememeber too, everytime you apply chemical fertilizers you lower the ph a little bit.
 
As your soil pH goes down (soil becomes more acid) from application of acid based fertilizers or just natural processes, many of the nutrients in the soil become less available to the plant.

Clovers especially like the pH close to neutral (7.0) and will die off quickly if the pH gets too low.

One thing about lime to check on is the fineness of the grind. A higher mesh number means smaller average particle size which means it will get to work lowering the pH more quickly. 80 or 100 mesh lime is a lot more valuable than a 40 mesh lime.

There are also different lime types. At $38/ton I would sure be very careful to check out what I was really getting. Darn near should be 100 mesh gold! Usually you can get a good grade of 80-100 mesh ag lime for $20 or so a ton spread. However it depends on where you are and how far the haul from the quarry etc.

Here is a useful link: http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/agronomy/part9.pdf

Jim
 
I had to pay $16 a ton to have the lime delivered and another $14 a ton to have it spred. If you can get it cheaper than that put out all you can aford. Spend all your fertelizer money on lime if you have to in order to get the PH up. fertelizer is waisted if the PH is low.
 
alabama":2vx30rv1 said:
I had to pay $16 a ton to have the lime delivered and another $14 a ton to have it spred. If you can get it cheaper than that put out all you can aford. Spend all your fertelizer money on lime if you have to in order to get the PH up. fertelizer is waisted if the PH is low.
I want to know did they use any vaseline ?
or did you call the police and report being raped at the $14 pr ton spreading cost

Around her spreading is running $4-$6 pr ton

Lime is $6-$7 add delivery and spreading and I have about $13 pr ton for a 400 ENM test lime if I have it hauled from 60 miles away lime and delivery for a 650ENM lime is $15 per ton and loading and spreading is $6

I feel sorry for you guys having to pay that much
 
alabama":1o3t23b1 said:
I had to pay $16 a ton to have the lime delivered and another $14 a ton to have it spred. If you can get it cheaper than that put out all you can aford. Spend all your fertelizer money on lime if you have to in order to get the PH up. fertelizer is waisted if the PH is low.
i agree lime hasnt been $19 a ton spread in 20yrs or more here.the last time i heard it was $30 a ton spread.so that would be $60 to $90 an ar for lime.
 
Here in southern WV lime is running34-44 dollars a ton for lime and spreading. Had a new thing done for this area with soil sampling done by GPS and numerous reports and graphs of what was need for each area. Really shows the differance in the areas you need more or less and is spread based on the results of numerous soil samples and there location, new program throught the Conservation district. Will save money on the application per/ton per acre and also the spreading costs are done based on the actual acres spread.
 
I am with the other guys. I paid $30 a ton applied and put down one ton per acre on a neglected burmuda pasture. Colud not afford fertilizer but I did spray with Grazon two months later. I had a much better stand then the year before with less rain. This allowed me to increase the stocking rate my a few animals which heped pay for the lime. By far the best bang for the buck.
 
Value depends on what you grow and what those plants need most. Raising the ph will increase your P and K availability. :banana: Even grass likes to be above 6.

All limes are not equal. There are other factors In addition to the ph effect of grind size . Some limes are higher in calcium, sulfur... Industrial by product limes often have the highest value, but can clump up and be difficult to spread evenly.

Working it in is the standard advise. For sod I would apply a ton of fine grind per acre per year till I got to the target ph. The lime will slowly work down in the soil.
 

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