Lime added to soil

[smoothy]

Hi All,
Trying to find out the time frame of when does lime start to work or neutralize soil once its be added.
Looked all over net and can't find any posts.
All replies appreciated

smoothy Reviewed by smoothy on 12-31-2011. Lime added to soil Hi All, Trying to find out the time frame of when does lime start to work or neutralize soil once its be added. Looked all over net and can't find any posts. All replies appreciated;) Rating: 5

[smpaz420]

from my own experience i end up adding some more (natural lime i get at hd) at about a month into flower, not much though about a teaspoon per gallon. You really need to check the ph of your runoff and determine if you actually need to add anything. Have you checked your runoff ph?

[voodoo child]

Hydrated lime starts working almost immediately.....It has a tendency to burn though

Dolomite takes a little longer and usually won't cause any burn as long as it is mixed into the soil thoroughly.

I add about 2 TBS of Dolomite lime to every 5 gallons of soil mix,I water with well water that's a PH of 7.2
my run off is usually 6.2-6.5 PH

[GaGrown]

I use dolimite lime outdoors about 2 months before you plant your plot. It neutralizes this acidic soil where all the pine needles have tainted the soil. Red clay don't help much!

Ga.

[smoothy]

I forgot to add the lime to the soil in this grow-short on time as to working alot! Runoff is 6.1 so i topdressed -1 gallon pots with 2tb dolimate lime. Plants are starting to show signs of def. I'm going to have to folage feed i guess until lime kicks in! Just don't have alot of time in this grow to keep checking soil. Was wondering a rough estimate in time for lime to kick in.

[GaGrown]

I hope they don't burn up! That's alot of lime for a small 1 gal. container.

Ga.

[GanjaRobPDX]

If you can avoid using lime it is greatly advised. Soil pH changes often depending on the nutrients you are using, the strength of those nutes, or ammendments added to the soil.
Best bet is to buy a pH meter and some pH up and pH down... this way you can adjust the nutrient solution before it enters the soil. By putting lime in the soil
you make consistant pH almost impossible. Since pH is so critical to growing cannabis, it's not something to be messed with.
Something else to consider is the fact that even if you figure out a good lime-to-soil-ratio, soils change from batch to batch and I wouldn't trust my crops pH to lime.

As for the copious amounts of lime you have added to your containers: flush like hell...yes they will droop and be pissed for a day or 3, but its best for them in the long run and will help clear up any deficiencies you may begin to see as a result of the pH being too high and blocking nutrient uptake. since you now have to buy a meter anyway to test your soil run-off, get some up/down while your at the ag shop. vinegar and baking soda are not the answer...yeah I know... more money...

hope this helps...