How fast does it ake lime to neutralize soil?

Hi All,

My last couple of bags of FFOF have been in very low ph ranges. I 've added some dolimate lime to mix about a week ago and still low ph! I'm thinking maybe a month it takes to kick in ? All girls look health now but don't want to get caught with pants down! I know i can flush to correct problem but more focused on the lime and how fast it takes to kick in.

Would appreciate all replies

It should be instantaneous. Did you top dress? You need a solution. XD Try using more.

LOL, no it is not instantaneous. It's ground up rock, not exactly something that dissolves like sugar.

It also sorta needs to be in contact with what it's changing the pH of. A top dress takes longer since it has to work it's way down into the medium, but even if it's added to the mix, it still takes a week or 2 to affect pH after it's been moistened. Just sitting there dry, it doesn't do much of anything.

@OP if you top dressed, you should start seeing a pH shift soon if it's been a week, IF you applied enough. Hard to over apply, but easy enough to under apply. *I* use 2tbl/gallon of mix, or 1cup/cf of mix. If you used less than this, add some more.

Be patient! It will work, just not overnight.

Wet

Why shouldn't it work overnight? If you can dissolve it in water (I can) it should work now.

Hydrated lime might dissolve in water, but it's been chemically altered and should not be used.

Regular dolomite or calcitic lime is ground up limestone and rock doesn't really dissolve. Might go into a slurry/suspension, but actually dissolving, not really.

I know what you mean though, not really trying to argue.

Wet

I'm going to mix a teaspoon of dolomite into a cup of water and see how long it takes to fall out of suspension.

OK it looks like milk. That's long enough to hitch a ride. Know lets wait and see.

You know if you top dressed you would still have to water it in so this way is the obvious choice.

I find it incredibly ironic that olylifter chose to like Wetdog's post and not mine. Should we explore the definition of dissolve or should we split hairs off topic? If I dissolve salt into water does it stop being salt? Does it have to disappear to be dissolved? It doesn't go away it just gets smaller than light will reflect. There, I know it all.

Muffy said:

I find it incredibly ironic that olylifter chose to like Wetdog's post and not mine. Should we explore the definition of dissolve or should we split hairs off topic? If I dissolve salt into water does it stop being salt? Does it have to disappear to be dissolved? It doesn't go away it just gets smaller than light will reflect. There, I know it all.

Click to expand...

Darn, no ROFLMAO smiley!

You're absolutely correct, we were starting to split hairs off topic while agreeing on the basic thing.

Now, for more important stuff....... Of course it stops being salt and becomes saltwater.

Wet

I find it incredibly ironic that cannawizard likes Wetdog's post and not mine.

Muffy said:

I'm going to mix a teaspoon of dolomite into a cup of water and see how long it takes to fall out of suspension.

Click to expand...

Irony aside, how did the suspension test go?

Did it stay in suspension, settle to the bottom, or a combo?

I'm curious, but I'm leaning towards it all settled to the bottom.

Wet

It seems most all of it has settled to the bottom. The water was still looking frosted so sucked off some from the top and but that in another glass next to source water. They both look clear but the dolomite'd water reads 20 ppm higher.

After 24 hours the experiment is over.