Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Implement Alley Discussion Forum

liming pasture

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
Ron

03-10-2004 04:48:45




Report to Moderator

My 5 acre pasture needs about 2 tons of lime per acre. I have been trying to the a lime distributor to spread it but he complains that it's too wet for his trucks and that he might get stuck.
A friend of mine said that I can use a chemical fertilizer spreader, the type that goes onto a 3-pt hitch to spread smaller amounts that you can buy from a feed store. This spreader is a hopper style which has a PTO driven wheel on the bottom.
Will this work, or will the lime simply cake up and not fall through to the wheel?

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Dave in Mo

03-11-2004 09:57:37




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
I used a Eazy_Flow drop spreader with pellitized lime. It'll hold about 1/2 ton at a crack and I can spread it in about 10 minutes. Fill-up and Spread....etc. I do our 3 acres in about 4 hours tops.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Fern(Mi)

03-11-2004 04:11:31




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
Nobody's mentioned the free use of lime spreaders form the lime merchants. Now I know this depends on whether you have a tractor. I've missed any immediate mention. Our elevator can load out 4ton in his spreader, a combination PTO & gr-driven box. A 90hp tractor's recomended.

If this application method doesn't fit your situation, it may others tuneing in.

Good Day



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry/MT

03-10-2004 20:04:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
My experience with liming is that you need a drop spreader. Never tried it with a PTO driven hopper type but if it didn't bridge, it would probably leave you in a big white cloud. The good thing about lime is you don't have to be all that precise. I presume you had a soil test and had a low pH and that's how you know you need 2T/acre.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Mguy

03-10-2004 13:59:15




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
If you've got livestock, you can get some delivered to your barnlot and put it on top of every load as you haul manure. Maybe not as uniform or scientific, but it gets the job done.Mguy.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry D in NC

03-10-2004 13:10:16




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
I actually have done this once and it will be more desperate times before I will do it again. I have a spreader that was rusted through 6 inches up the cone from the bottom and you could get enough to go through that and fall down on the spinner to work. My wife drove the tractor and I punched the lime with a broom handle. Wait for the truck or spread it by hand with a shovel if you think it has to be done now. I have spread many a ton on land that was too steep to get the truck on using a horse and a sled loaded with a ton or so each load. It would take a day or two but it can be done.

I would wait for the lime truck.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
kyhayman

03-10-2004 11:21:37




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
Short answer:

Simple answer for my 2 cent is wait for the truck, 2 tons per acre is a pretty modest rate. I'd guess pH is 6 or better unless your CEC is really low.

I would expect anything but pelleted lime to tunnel in the small spreader.

Long answer:

In the early 90's I was working as an Ag Extension Agent (and for my masters), I took part in a study on lime rate and source on affects to pH on cash rented ground (economic returns of lime source) where landlord wont buy lime. What we found was for initial reaction on a low CEC soil with a pH of 4.0 sub spec (ANV of 60) locally available quarried lime at the full rate (6 tons per acre) gave similar returns at lower cost than 1/2 or full rate of hydrated lime (ANV 100), 5% rate of pelleted lime (ANV 185), or 1/2 or full rate of dolomitic lime (ANV 128).

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
James

03-10-2004 17:54:45




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: liming pasture in reply to kyhayman, 03-10-2004 11:21:37  
Kansas State tells me no more than 2000lb ECC/ac at one time applied to the surface. Does that mean 2000lbs of total lime? (or is ECC different than the total weight?)

Does this rule not apply in other areas?

While we are on the subject, I've been wondering if lime could be spread with the rented fertilizer buggy from the COOP? Or would that destroy the spreaders?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
kyhayman

03-10-2004 18:33:09




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: Re: liming pasture in reply to James, 03-10-2004 17:54:45  
Never seen any limit on the amount of lime surface applied in the eastern US. In conventional tillage situations most recommendations I've seen recommend 1/2 plowed down and the 1/2 surface applied if calling for more than 4 tons per acre. Does not apply in a no til situation and we are 80% or more no til except for tobacco. I would speculate (and this is pure speculation) in the more arid areas of the US low pH is more a result of applied acidity from sythetic Nitrogen fertilizer and less from leaching of basic cations. With 50" of rainfall it doesnt take long to get all of the lime reacting into the root zone (3 years or so).

In a fertilizer buggy the lime still wants to tunnel on the floor chain. May even bridge. A real PIA. When I first started farming on my own (in college) I needed to save every penny. Needed a thousand tons of lime and thought I was going to save big money doing that very thing. Wrong plan, third day I called a lime truck and backhoe (still saved $2.00 a ton). The conveyer belt in the live floor works way smoother than a chain in a buggy.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
smirkey

03-10-2004 08:24:26




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
i would use just a little hydrated or bag lime now with a tractor , and then get the truck in some other time when dryer.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Hay Dr

03-10-2004 08:02:38




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
You could use Hydrated lime in an Easy-Flow style spreader at the rate of 1000 LBS per acre and Hydrated lime reacts with the soil immediately. Agricultural or palletized lime does take almost one year to start reacting in the soil.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Sam (MO)

03-10-2004 06:23:07




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
Ron
I would wait on the truck. The lime will take almost a full year to bring the PH up to the desired level. I have learned that that one ton of lime will bet the PH about .3 tenths. So just plan fence post this year.

Good luck.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Unimog

03-10-2004 06:10:38




Report to Moderator
 Re: liming pasture in reply to Ron, 03-10-2004 04:48:45  
My advise is wait for the spreader truck. I have
seen guys use a 3-pt fertilizer spreader, but it
was very dry bagged lime and they didn't put much
in at a time or it would compact. You're looking
at 10 TONS of lime, you'll be near dead by the
time you get that much through a little spreader.
Also you will make so many trips across your field
it will be like cement from compaction. The truck
should be able to do it with only one trip per
pass.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy