another soil question

weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
Well I got me some very fine lime, how much do I use in my 5 gal smart pot and how much do I use in my 3 gal smart pot and in my 2 gal pot not 2 gal but close let me know for each pot ty
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
You're sure it's dolomite? There are two types of lime. Hydrated, slack or horticultural lime shouldn't be used except in rare cases. It's used in the range of 1/4 to 1tsp. Dolomite is used at 1-2 Tbsp/gal.
 
weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
So 5 gal 2 t
az2000 said:
You're sure it's dolomite? There are two types of lime. Hydrated, slack or horticultural lime shouldn't be used except in rare cases. It's used in the range of 1/4 to 1tsp. Dolomite is used at 1-2 Tbsp/gal.
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Yes I'm sure it says it on the Bag, also said for Worm beds and for gardening So 5 tbsp for my 5 gal and 2 for my 2 gal and how long will it take to work my soil is 5.o
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
It's more of an "on demand" thing. As the soil acidifies the carbonates break down and into ca and mg. That process counteracts the acidification, holding the soil ph stable.
 
weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
It's more of an "on demand" thing. As the soil acidifies the carbonates break down and into ca and mg. That process counteracts the acidification, holding the soil ph stable.
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So it's a tbsp a gallon for every gallon of pot
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
1-2 tablespoons for every gallon of soil you mix. Mix it into the soil.

This assumes you have dolomite and not hydrated/slack/horticultural lime. If you're not sure, post details (Ca and Mg details) from the label.
 
weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
1-2 tablespoons for every gallon of soil you mix. Mix it into the soil.

This assumes you have dolomite and not hydrated/slack/horticultural lime. If you're not sure, post details (Ca and Mg details) from the label.
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No not mixing it in to it I'm putting it on top of the soil and watering it In to it my plants are in final pots, here is a pic of what I got off ebay
 

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az2000

Well-Known Member
weednurd420 said:
No not mixing it in to it I'm putting it on top of the soil and watering it In to it my plants are in final pots, here is a pic of what I got off ebay
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Yes, that's good stuff. I got a 50lb bag of it from my hydroshop for $15. It's a blend of calcitic and dolomitic lime.

You can cultivate it into your topsoil using a fork, water in. I'd do it over 2-3 waterings, not all at once.

(It's best to mix it into the soil before planting.).
 
weedenhanced

weedenhanced

Well-Known Member
Buy premium soil mix it has everything all rdy in it allrdy
I'd only add lime to super shit soil that's outside
 
weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
Yes, that's good stuff. I got a 50lb bag of it from my hydroshop for $15. It's a blend of calcitic and dolomitic lime.

You can cultivate it into your topsoil using a fork, water in. I'd do it over 2-3 waterings, not all at once.

(It's best to mix it into the soil before planting.).
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Only reason I did not is kuz my soil was on point every bag of fox farm soil was 6.0. So how much of that for gallon of pot
 
weednurd420

weednurd420

Well-Known Member
az2000 said:
Yes, that's good stuff. I got a 50lb bag of it from my hydroshop for $15. It's a blend of calcitic and dolomitic lime.

You can cultivate it into your topsoil using a fork, water in. I'd do it over 2-3 waterings, not all at once.

(It's best to mix it into the soil before planting.).
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So add 1to 2 tbsp with the stuff I got like you said don't want to kill my plants, 1 is acting like I over watered her but I only water every 3 days when soil is dry up to my first knuckle
 
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az2000

Well-Known Member
weednurd420 said:
So add 1to 2 tbsp with the stuff I got like you said don't want to kill my plants, 1 is acting like I over watered her but I only water every 3 days when soil is dry up to my first knuckle
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It's not the kind of thing you can use too much of. I did a test using 0 to 8 tbsp/gal. There was little difference in the ph between 2 tbsp and 8. Like I said, it just sits in the soil acting against acidification, but not increasing the alkalinity the way hydrated lime does. A buffer. (I wouldn't use 8tbsp. That may be unhealthy to a plant in other ways. But, in the 1-2 Tbsp range which is commonly used by growers, the measurement isn't critical.).

How beneficial it is may have to do with how acidic a person's nutrients are, or whether they overfeed or feed with runoff (mini flush each feeding). For example, I stopped using calmag and my nutes are now almost 1ph higher. Dolomite may not be as beneficial for me now. (I'm not in a hurry to try growing without it because, as I said, it's just a buffer that's used as needed.

Every grower's circumstances are different. When someone says "I don't need it," you have to realize there are factors may be different. From what I've seen on the forums, it's more common to add it than not. It's simple, makes it easy to use non-premium soils, mix your own premium soil, etc. You also don't have to worry whether the bag of soil has sat on the shelf too long, if the dolomite has already broken down. It's like insurance.
 
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