Making soiless medium & lime ?

Lorri D · April 8, 2012

I keep reading about adding lime to peat to balance the natural acidic nature of the peat. Can you use agricultural limestone as the "lime" ingredient? I have found there are lots of types of lime and I don't really understand their pro's and cons or which is best for this purpose. Thank you so much!

willyb · April 8, 2012

You can use agricultural limestone in your containers it will do the job. I use agricultural limestone in my garden as it has a slow release. (over a few years) I use dolomitic lime in containers as it has magnesium in addition to calcium. I believe this to be good for tomatoes and aids in the prevention of BER. Dolomite is also quicker release.

fortyonenorth · April 9, 2012

Yes, both ag lime and dolomitic lime will neutralize soil acidity. As Willy pointed out, for container culture, many prefer dolomitic lime because it provides both calcium and magnesium, which are both used by plants in relatively large amounts. If you already have ag lime on hand, you can use that for pH adjustment and calcium and then add some epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) as your Mg source. It's cheap and readily available at any drug store.

Lorri D · April 9, 2012

Excellent info! Thank you to you both very much : )

April 8, 2012	#1
Lorri D Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NorthWest Posts: 267	Making soiless medium & lime ? I keep reading about adding lime to peat to balance the natural acidic nature of the peat. Can you use agricultural limestone as the "lime" ingredient? I have found there are lots of types of lime and I don't really understand their pro's and cons or which is best for this purpose. Thank you so much!

April 8, 2012	#2
willyb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Sherwood Park Alberta Canada Posts: 147	You can use agricultural limestone in your containers it will do the job. I use agricultural limestone in my garden as it has a slow release. (over a few years) I use dolomitic lime in containers as it has magnesium in addition to calcium. I believe this to be good for tomatoes and aids in the prevention of BER. Dolomite is also quicker release.

April 9, 2012	#3
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	Yes, both ag lime and dolomitic lime will neutralize soil acidity. As Willy pointed out, for container culture, many prefer dolomitic lime because it provides both calcium and magnesium, which are both used by plants in relatively large amounts. If you already have ag lime on hand, you can use that for pH adjustment and calcium and then add some epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) as your Mg source. It's cheap and readily available at any drug store.