Rate my lime

If there's no information to go by, carry out your own little experiment by liming a small area, maybe an acre or two, with an aim to reach pH 7

You will soon get the feel of whether it's made a difference over a pH around 6.0-6.2

I'm sure you know your land as well, if not better than anybody and after spending a lot of money you may just feel it hasn't really given the benefit you hoped. There are lots of situations where a high pH can give a good return on investment, but equally there are places where you can keep chucking money around for little gain.

It's a shame if you can't get really good quality lime to achieve your aim at a sensible cost.
 
Both OK for where you are and Leiths are a reputable firm.

BIG thing is whether the stuff that arrives in the truck is the same as the sample that was analysed. All sorts of things can affect that.

Moisture content increases as the lime stockpiles in the quarry get rained on (easy to check with scales and oven) and you don't want to pay for water. Some quarries have freshly made stuff and older stocks (which can be damper). Ask for freshly made.

Handling and drops cause segregation, concentrating larger particles in bases and sides of heaps, so gradings can be different in different parts of quarry stockpiles. Screens meshes wear and sometimes end up with holes in them, leading to larger particles getting through, changing the grading over time. It's impossible to check small grading sizes (150mm) on the farm, but nothing to stop you telling them you are going to have a sample analysed for grading, which should keep them on their toes.
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
Righto, I’ve had couple of prices in, the Torlundy screened comes in at £37.08/t delivered, but they also do a milled flour that comes in at £52.28/t delivered, analysis is as follows:

IMG_1516273473.454493.jpg


View attachment 623074

It is obviously far finer and going to be more effective, but is it value for money at a £15.20/t premium?

The Parkmore screened stuff is finer than the Torlundy screened, but at £53.92/t delivered it’s out of the question!
 
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@Cab-over Pete should know..
Personally I prefer flour type lime that doesn’t spread far (6metres).
I’ve seen lime that looked more like nitram and when we had it tested they said it would probably take a 10 years to break down and do any good! It came down to the company were to tight to put new jaws in the crusher at the quarry!

I ended up paying almost double for the flour type lime because of haulage but I knew it would work almost instantly!

Where from?
 

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
2cwt the acre but you have to do it every year , there will be no carry over for the next year , have messed about with it and normal lime at a reasonable cost is the best option but in your case I would be going for pelleted and spreading on every year.
 

bobajob

Member
Location
Sw Scotland
You usually put pelleted lime on at a lesser rate say 150kg/ ac. Wether it will do your job or not I don’t know, it doesn’t last as long.
How big an area are you needing to lime?
Is beach sand/ shells no good, even if you were allowed to use it?!
 
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Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
No shell sand here, you have to go further west to find that stuff.

There’s 100+ac to consider, all of which would undoubtedly benefit from a lift in pH.
 

bobajob

Member
Location
Sw Scotland
Lime is a good investment, you will see a difference. Stock is healthier too. It’s a lot of money in your case though,

(one of the many reasons why farming is migrating to easier farmed more accessible regions for its inputs and markets)
 

quavers

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
going to cost you £ 10000 plus just for the lime , pelleted cost about £1000 a year and spread it your self , try some if it works it works ,friend yous it next to village where normal lime spreading would cause a issue with dust and neighbours , noticed a vast improvement in his grass land .
 

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