Stingray23
Senior Member
For food plots is there an inherent difference as in is one better than the other or does it really matter as long as you get lime ? Place we contacted will deliver/spread powdered lime but not pellets.
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Lime, Pelletized or powder ?
- Thread starter Stingray23
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divinginn
Senior Member
The powdered works faster.
From what I read the pelletized lime works quicker. This is due to it being fine powder glued into pellets.
But it costs much more than the powdered ag lime. If someone can get a spreader truck to their plots the cost would probably be lower to use ag lime.
across the river
Senior Member
Pelletized lime is finely crushed(pulverized) lime, held together with a binder. Ag lime is just crushed up limestone (think crush and run in gravel) and can have more variation in what you get in terms of particle size. Some are very fine, some are bigger and take longer to dissolve. Pelletized lime is less dusty, easier to handle in terms of monitoring spread rate, and works faster because the particles are small and uniform within the pellet. It is more expensive. Ag lime is dusty, less uniform, and more difficult to spread evenly, but it is cheaper and most often used for large acerage. In terms of one being better than an other, it really depends on what you are trying to get out of it. If you are doing say a small food plot, you may apply 500 lbs an acre of pellets and get the pH you want because it works quicker and application is easy, but you will probably have to reapply in 2-3 years because all the smaller particles are dissolved and gone. Ag lime, you could probably put 2000lbs an acre on the same plot, may not get the desired pH for a couple of years, but not have to apply for 5 plus years because the different sizes dissolve over time. People will say pelletized works better, but I think that is just because it works quicker. Long term you are going to have to apply the same amount of lime to maintain the pH, regardless of the form. It is just chemistry. However in general, I would say if you have a small plot and running it with a spreader, pelletized is better because of ease of handling, just realize you will probably have to do it again fairly quickly to maintain the pH. Larger acreage, go with the ag lime and the truck, just realize it might take a couple of years to get the pH where you want it, but understand you probably won’t have to lime it as often.
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Yep. Not to mention lime is the poor man's fertilizer. I hit my clover plots with pelletized lime every other year, this year being the "other year". I'll hit them with lime again in the Fall and I should be good for two years. All of mine are small plots in the woods. I could get a truck in there to most of them but it's easy to DIY and if I wasn't putting down lime I'd be putting down fertilizer anyway so it's no big deal.
doomtrpr_z71
Senior Member
The speed of the reaction is as follows in order fastest to slowest
Topflow CA
Pelletized
Fine lime
Ag lime
All because of particle size
Topflow CA
Pelletized
Fine lime
Ag lime
All because of particle size
I couldn't find Topflow but I did find CAL FLO. $80 for 2.5 gals.
doomtrpr_z71
Senior Member
That's because topflow is only sold in bulkI couldn't find Topflow but I did find CAL FLO. $80 for 2.5 gals.
davel
Senior Member
I'm no expert or scientist but I can tell you from years of using pelletized lime with zero effect the ag lime is the way to go. I have been using ag lime for 3 planting seasons now. Fall, spring, fall and just took a soil sample and my pH is 6.5 in one plot and 6.1 in a very sandy plot. I never got these results with pelletized lime. For what it's worth.
livetohunt
Senior Member
Definitely go with the Ag lime. Pelletized is like using a one year band-aid that doesn't even work well.
davel
Senior Member
Exactly
Agreed ag lime is the way to go if you can get a spreader truck on the field.
However,
I have some remote plots with UGA test results showing PH of 7 that I have only used pelletized lime on.
After several decades in both the horticultural field, being in charge of everything from campus landscapes to large athletic field complexes, and also farming, growing hay and crops, etc. I think pelletized is a better, more effective and consistant product, but is cost-prohibitive on larger acreages. People who say pelletized makes no difference are doing something wrong in their application or rate. It's not the fault of the product. Any lime is much better than no lime. Lime is the most overlooked thing that makes the most difference in growing almost anything in most of the southeast.
Also, there are two main types- calcitic lime and dolomitic lime. The calcitic usually acts much quicker to raise PH, but the dolomitic contains more minor nutrients like magnesium.
Also, there are two main types- calcitic lime and dolomitic lime. The calcitic usually acts much quicker to raise PH, but the dolomitic contains more minor nutrients like magnesium.
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davel
Senior Member
You know way more about it than I do. Obviously, I was doing something wrong but the ag lime is cheaper and they spread it for me. For the hard to get to areas, I have a drop spreader to apply ag lime.
Yep, the ag lime is much easier and cheaper, and works fine.
livetohunt
Senior Member
Everyone knows pelletized lime is a short term fix. Maybe if you load up on it yearly it would be fine but who wants to spend the time and money doing that? I have 36 acres of plots and only use pelletized lime on small fields the lime trucks cannot access. Pelletized changes PH faster(and to a lesser degree) and works quicker but also fades MUCH quicker than ag or quarry lime. If you are using someone else's money and don't mind spending the time yearly to spread pellet lime do that, if you want a longer term solution use ag lime.
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