SOIL

 • N+/-

• P+

• K+

• S-

• Ca+

• Mg+

• Fe+

• Mn+  • Cu+

• Zn+

• B+

• Mo-

• Al+

Primary nutrients

Secondary nutrients

Micronutrients {Ni+ and Cl- are sometimes included}

http://plantsinaction.science.uq.edu.au

LIME–Agricultural lime {Calcium carbonate 

(CaCO3)} aka – ground limestone–Dolomite {CaCO3 & MgCO3 } refer to  soil analysis  slide 

Dolomitic limestone – combination of above 2

–Burnt lime {calcium oxide { CaO }–Hydrated lime {calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 }

–Gypsum (calcium sulfate) –does not have the capacity to change soil pH and is not a liming compound. 

www.osu.edu  

Dolomite and dolomitic lime are NOT the same!

Fast Acting?

Fineness factor

Lime doesn’t neutralize acid until it dissolves. Smaller the particle size the faster it goes into solution. (increased surface area)

prilling

Solidification of droplets of molten material free-falling against an upward stream of air in a tower.  

The resulting solidified drops are called prills.

Prilled Fast acting lime

Lime doesn’t neutralize acid until it dissolves. Smaller the particle size the faster it goes into solution.

Particles going thru a #10 sieve (1/700“) are soluble enough to be effective.

Solubility rating of #40 sieve is 1.0 while #10 sieve has a rating of 0.30.

Agricultural lime

Agricultural lime

Acid neutralizing value decreases as the moisture content increases. This is called the MOISTURE FACTOR.

MOISTURE FACTOR (mf)

Moisture factor (mf) =

Moisture factor (mf) = = 0.99

100 - % water100

100 - 1100

calcium carbonate equivalent(CCE)

An assigned value for the acid neutralizing ability of a liming material with calcium carbonate assigned a value of 100.

• CaCO3 (calcitic limestone) = 100• Agricultural lime

• CaMg (CO3)2 (dolomite) = 109• CaO (burnt or quick lime) = 179

• (calcium oxide)

• Ca(OH)2 (slacked or hydrated lime) = 136• (calcium hydroxide)

Both CaO and Ca(OH)2 are potentially harmful to both plants and humans and aren’t used for home gardens.

calcium carbonate equivalent(CCE)

Fineness factor (ff)The degree of solubility is directly related to

the size of the particles of the liming material. The smaller the particle size, the larger the surface area, the more soluble the material.

A #40 (0.25mm particle size)sieve (or finer) has been given a solubility rating of 1.0. A mesh greater than #8 (2.0mm) has a rating of zero because the large particles will not effectively change the soil pH because of its extremely slow rate of solubility.

Lime score(neutralizing value)

Rates the quality of the limeLime score = cce X ff X mf

Fast Acting Score = 95.5 X 1.0 X 0.99 = 94.545

How Much Lime

Soil test(LSU AgCtr report will tell you how 

much lime to add.)

(LSU test lists: pH, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, S, Cu and Zn)