Garden Lime is A Soil Amendment to Help With pH Working in the garden can take a substantial time investment. Therefore, it’s a good idea to optimize our efforts by working smarter, not harder. Many of us think that if we add compost to our garden soil and mulch well around our plants that it’s all we need to do to make our plants thrive. Often, this simply is not the case. Sometimes we need to change the chemistry and mineral makeup of our soil as well, in order to facilitate optimal plant growth. This is where agricultural Garden Lime comes to the rescue! What is Agricultural Lime? Lime for the garden is most often used to help repair problematic soil. Agricultural garden lime is an important soil amendment for overly acidic soils. It is made available as an easy-to-use white powder that can be sprinkled on top of your soil and mixed in thereafter. Pelletized lime can also be used and is often easier to evenly spread. What is Garden Lime Used For? Every sampling of soil has its own unique chemistry and soil composition, which directly affects how plants grow. Plants need to live in a medium that is neither too acidic nor too alkaline. We call this the pH level. Most landscape plants do best in soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. If you have acidic soil, doing a lime soil amendment might do the trick for improving overall plant vitality. Plants like fruits, vegetables, and many ornamental shrubs can benefit from garden lime uses. They not only depend upon it for its rich calcium content but enjoy it for the nutrients it makes available. Lime can unlock vital nutrients within the soil and make them more bioavailable to plant roots. Additionally, a lime soil amendment can strengthen the cellular walls within plants too, making them produce and flower better. Because powder lime for garden soil can change soil pH, it can also affect the coloring of flowers. The coloring of hydrangeas, for instance, is directly dependent upon soil pH. The Different Types of Lime There are two types of agricultural lime that can be used in the garden: garden lime and dolomitic lime. Both are made from crushed stone. Garden lime powder is made from crushed limestone (calcium carbonate). It has a high calcium level and will raise the pH level of your soil to be more alkaline. Dolomitic lime is made from crushed dolomite. This form of lime has both calcium and magnesium. It too, will raise the pH of your soil. Please note, that it is NOT advisable to use other forms of lime. Construction grade lime is NOT suitable for the garden. How to Test Your Soil To find out if you need to add lime to your soil, you can contact local universities, state agricultural organizations, or county cooperative extension services to get an accurate soil analysis. With such soil reports, you will get detailed information about your soil composition and all the kinds of soil amendments your plants can benefit from. Plus, they will often tell you how much lime to add. If your soil tests with a pH below 5.5, your plants may benefit from a treatment of lime. How to Use Garden Lime It is best to add garden lime or dolomitic lime to your soil in the fall. This is because it takes time for the change in pH to occur. Amending in the fall will give the soil time to transition to a more acceptable pH and should be ready by the next planting season. Consider Adding Lime to Your Garden Today! At Perfect Plants, we are devoted to making gardening easier. We have all the plants, tools, and supplies you will need to have an amazing garden this year! If you need to add agricultural lime to your beautiful garden space, don’t hesitate to order your agricultural lime for sale now! Happy planting!
