When to order lime

[pcdreams]

So for the past two years we've been trying to get lime delivered. Last season they were saying it was wet (so they didn't have any dry to spread). This season we were told that now is the time you order and have it spread but the place that spreads it says they may not have any available till late fall or next year.

So what's the story? Am I getting the run around or trying to order it at the wrong time of year?

We're in SW missouri

[coolrunnin]

Down here in Arkansas they are using it in place of sand for asphalt. the quarry I work at hasn't had any for ag use in 2 years.

[pcdreams]

likely whats going on here now that you mention it.

Only other option is pelleted and that is far to rich for my blood at $130/ton

[haypoint]

Can't spread wet lime. Can't get the lime spreader in the fields if the fields are too wet to pull a heavy trailer around. It takes a while for lime to change the soil's Ph, and it stays in the soil for a few years. Best to do it in a dry Autum. But if your crystal ball is as foggy as mine, just get it spread when the conditions are right. Welcome to farming.

[Bearfootfarm]

Spread it whenever you can get it, bacause it takes months to really make a difference and will last a couple of years.

Around here it's mostly spread in the Spring, but it's also AVAILABLE here year round

[Micheal]

Around here they usually spread it just before planting - after plowing but before disking - or after the crop has been taken off the field.
Could it be that you are a "small" user therefore not high on anyones priority list? Again around here the more you want the faster delivery seems and yes locally there is a min order for them to deliver let alone spread.......

[Ramblin Wreck]

I try to lime the pastures and hay fields in the Fall, but this year I limed in the Spring and even as late as a month ago on one hay field. I use the slow, cheap stuff, so it's going to take a year or two to do any good anyway.

[salmonslayer]

For some reason both lime and fertilizer have been hard to get around here this year but we finally got ours from MFA and if you have a truck they will let you use one of the spreaders for free like the one we used below:



Note how green everything was and we had such high hopes. Not one drop of rain since this was taken on 1 May and our pasture is now brown and crackly...even the weeds died.

[sugarspinner]

Welcome to the "we'll get to it when we can" lime run-around. We've had some ordered since the first of the year but can't get it. There's a long list. Around here we think of lime as a patience-producer.