pelletized lime

[skyhightree1]

:shock: :shock: waving white flag I surrender.

 

[flyboy_40461]

I'm new here but thought I'd butt into the conversation. I own 31 very rolling acres in Central Kentucky that needs 6 ton ag lime per acre according to University of Kentucky soil testing.

The big question if I need 6 ton of lime dust per acre, how much pellet per acre is a good question that concerns me. I can't find a straight forward conversion.

My land is too rolling for a lime truck to spread ag lime dust. Pellet is my only option, so I plan to use my truck to haul 5 ton pellet from S/S at a time. I'm lucky I have a F3500 dump and 10 ft gravity fertilize/lime spreader and tractor I was concerned about putting pellet lime on hay fields. So now after reading some replies I'm feeling better.. THANKS!

BTW: Southern States Coop here in Central KY, sells pellet bulk by the ton for 1.48 a ton.. that sounds cheap. Local guy who spreads dust gets 180.00 a load for spreading 7 to 8 ton so pellet sounds like a better way to go on rolling land if you can beg, borrow, or buy a old yesterday tech 10 foot fert/lime spreader. They aren't in use much any longer and are kinda cheap.

 

[Ebenezer]

I'm new here but thought I'd butt into the conversation. I own 31 very rolling acres in Central Kentucky that needs 6 ton ag lime per acre according to University of Kentucky soil testing.

The big question if I need 6 ton of lime dust per acre, how much pellet per acre is a good question that concerns me. I can't find a straight forward conversion.

My land is too rolling for a lime truck to spread ag lime dust. Pellet is my only option, so I plan to use my truck to haul 5 ton pellet from S/S at a time. I'm lucky I have a F3500 dump and 10 ft gravity fertilize/lime spreader and tractor I was concerned about putting pellet lime on hay fields. So now after reading some replies I'm feeling better.. THANKS!

BTW: Southern States Coop here in Central KY, sells pellet bulk by the ton for 1.48 a ton.. that sounds cheap. Local guy who spreads dust gets 180.00 a load for spreading 7 to 8 ton so pellet sounds like a better way to go on rolling land if you can beg, borrow, or buy a old yesterday tech 10 foot fert/lime spreader. They aren't in use much any longer and are kinda cheap.

Something does not sound right on the 6T/Ac or the price/T.

Your pH must be 3.5 or 4.0? 6T is a huge amount and you should not put all out at one time. Also, there is a huge difference in lime pellets used for fertilizer filler and pelletized limestone. Lime pellets are courser ground limestone in the size range of prills and is not highly available for plant use. It would be a wasted effort as far as liming.

 

[sstterry]

I agree with Grit here, something seems really off on those test results. I read this years ago;

If surface applying lime, apply no more than two and one-half tons per acre per year. Up to four tons per acre may be applied if the lime is worked into the soil.

If I were you I would speak to an Extension Forage Specialist.

 

[ga.prime]

Flyboy said

"The big question if I need 6 ton of lime dust per acre, how much pellet per acre is a good question that concerns me. I can't find a straight forward conversion."

ga.prime said

"six tons of lime is six tons of lime."

 

[kenny thomas]

How are pellets at $148 a ton better than lime at at $22.50 a ton. Either can be spread with the spreader you mention. And everything I have read says not to spread over 2 ton per acre unless you work it in by plowing or something like that to get it into the soil. 6 ton per acre will crust over otherwise. What is the soil PH?

 

[ga.prime]

How are pellets at $148 a ton better than lime at at $22.50 a ton. Either can be spread with the spreader you mention. And everything I have read says not to spread over 2 ton per acre unless you work it in by plowing or something like that to get it into the soil. 6 ton per acre will crust over otherwise. What is the soil PH?

It's $1.48 a ton.

 

[kenny thomas]

Pellets are over $150 a ton here. No way could it be $1.48 even though thats what was stated.

 

[ga.prime]

Pellets are over $150 a ton here. No way could it be $1.48 even though thats what was stated.

Flyboy thinks it's $1.48 a ton. He said it sounded cheap.

 

[kenny thomas]

I see that. Afraid he is gonna get a big surprise.

 

[kentuckyguy]

I am in Ky and tested all my fields this spring. I had some new pasture that was trees just a year ago that tested really low PH 4.7.

My recommendation from UK is 4 T/A of 100% effective lime. I can't imagine any ground being much more acidic than this. This area was covered in a lot of pine trees before clearing.

I have several fields that require quite a bit of lime. Local guy here has a lime truck with a blower for the places to steep to take the truck. He charges $22/ton spread for 50% ENV lime so pretty much means I have to put twice as much on. Still $22/ton for lime spread on steep hills is really reasonable in my book.

My plan for most of it is to put 1 1/2 ton/acre on this spring and again in September. Probably will have him do it one more time in the spring and I should be good on most of the fields.

 

[ga.prime]

I see that. Afraid he is gonna get a big surprise.

Hopefully he'll look at the bill after the first load before he spreads 180 tons

 

[littletom]

All lime is not the same from quarry to quarry. But six tons is alot. I have kind made a mess out of one lease field 4 years ago. The fall I got it was 5.4 i was a little scared of that. So that fall as soon as the farmers corn came off i put 5 tons. The next spring i mold board plowed it, then put down 4 tons and disk it in. This spring and last spring the ph was 7.8 i have to now add boron or have leaf drop. Becareful with putting a bunch. When i put the 5 it looked like a parking lot. Last fall I had a 6.1 so i put 3 tons no change to this march usually that brings it up .2 so 2 weeks ago i put 3 more. The amount of n and sulphur we put on tobacco smokes ph pretty bad.
Uk agronomist tells me pelleted lime is slower because the glue has to break down. I am going to put it on a food plot this summer. Can not in any way get a truck in there. It is 5.1 now also interested to watch how it brings it up over time.

 

[kenny thomas]

Isn't 50% ENV very low? Here it's 85 to almost 100.

 

[littletom]

I think 75 from one here 62 another could be wrong

 

[kenny thomas]

Maybe so. I get some that is a byproduct from a zinc mi e and it's very fine and works great. The other minerals in it is better th an normal quarry lime also.

 

[kentuckyguy]

Isn't 50% ENV very low? Here it's 85 to almost 100.

Yes it is low but due to our location it's my best option. The guy who runs the truck said he can get %73 from another place but the hauling time would almost double the price per ton. I think once a field has been let go it's best to add it a little at a time when top dressing anyways. I figure on having the pasture fields lined out in a couple years.

Really would like to fertilize also but from what I can read when PH is below 5.7 the plants can't make use of the fertilizer. Can anybody confirm this?

 

[kenny thomas]

That's what I understand also. I try to get my pastures to 6.5.

 

[kenny thomas]

Once I get above 6.5 to 6.7 or so it seems the clover does much better also so less N is needed.

 

[kentuckyguy]

Thanks Kenny

I plan to do a lot of frost seeding next spring. I have been doing a lot of reading on how to manage a pasture and I have a long ways to go but I'm moving in the right direction.