How often should lime be applied?
Apply lime only when recommended by a soil test. Some soils need to be limed every 2 to 3 years, others every 3 to 4 years. In general, sandy-textured soils need to be limed more frequently than clays because sandy soils are more subject to pH changes caused by leaching and fertilizer treatments. Ideally, lime should be applied and mixed into the soil before a crop is planted. However, if the need is great, lime can be applied even when plants are already in place. Unlike fertilizers, lime can be spread over growing crops without damaging the crop. When lime has been applied as recommended, do not apply more without taking another soil test.
Provided there is no outflow of water from a pond, a lime application should improve the water quality for a long time. However, there are cases when periodic liming is necessary for a number of reasons: because of pond drainage or seepage, because of run-off entering and leaving a pond, or because a pond is fed continuously by springs. As a general rule, ponds that have a fertilization program, acid soils, and a moderate inflow and outflow of water require liming about once every three years. An aggressive and successful practice is to lime at the full recommended rate as determined by soil analysis and then follow up with one-quarter of that amount on an annual basis. Using this latter technique, it is recommended that you recalculate a pond’s lime requirements on a three to five year cycle. In ponds with excessive water flow such as from large underground springs or streams that have been dammed up, liming may not be practical and, at best, is usually uneconomical.
Apply lime only when recommended by a soil test. Some soils need to be limed every 2 to 3 years, others every 3 to 4 years. In general, sandy-textured soils need to be limed more frequently than clays because sandy soils are more subject to pH changes caused by leaching and fertilizer treatments. Ideally, lime should be applied and mixed into the soil before a crop is planted. However, if the need is great, lime can be applied even when plants are already in place. Unlike fertilizers, lime can be spread over growing crops without damaging the crop. When lime has been applied as recommended, do not apply more without taking another soil test. Top Notch Inspections, Inc. tests many other factors in your soil. The inspector will be happy to answer any questions you may have. All of your “soil properties” will be listed in the Soil Testing report.
