lime

Itoero · April 18, 2013

I've read that tomatoes love lime.
Especially when starting to bloom they can use extra lime.
Is it true?

I have a kelp-made lime-fertilizer...

Redbaron · April 19, 2013

Depends on the soil. Too much lime is bad.

zeroma · April 19, 2013

If I added lime to my soil here in the Dayton Ohio area, that would be sooo bad! We have a limestone base and mostly need to add sulfur to change the pH the other way.

You really need a soil test to see what you have first.

COMPOSTER · April 23, 2013

I'm no soil scientist but I think what the plant likes is the calcium in the lime. So lime would be a good way to provide calcium and raise the PH if the plants were growing in an acidic soil. If the soil is alkaline you would not use lime because you would want to lower the PH, not raise it. Therefore you would have to find another source of calcium. Perhaps bone meal. One of the reasons tomato plants are reported to like calcium is because it reduces the incidence of the dreaded blossom end rot.

April 18, 2013	#1
Itoero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Belgium Posts: 186	lime I've read that tomatoes love lime. Especially when starting to bloom they can use extra lime. Is it true? I have a kelp-made lime-fertilizer...

April 19, 2013	#2
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Depends on the soil. Too much lime is bad. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

April 19, 2013	#3
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	If I added lime to my soil here in the Dayton Ohio area, that would be sooo bad! We have a limestone base and mostly need to add sulfur to change the pH the other way. You really need a soil test to see what you have first.

April 23, 2013	#4
COMPOSTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Connecticut Posts: 252	I'm no soil scientist but I think what the plant likes is the calcium in the lime. So lime would be a good way to provide calcium and raise the PH if the plants were growing in an acidic soil. If the soil is alkaline you would not use lime because you would want to lower the PH, not raise it. Therefore you would have to find another source of calcium. Perhaps bone meal. One of the reasons tomato plants are reported to like calcium is because it reduces the incidence of the dreaded blossom end rot.