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my ph is low,the snow is temporarily gone yet the ground is frozen..should i add some lime or wait till spring..john

12/15/2002 4:49:53 PM

Key West, FL

i would try to ad it now but better wait for some soil pro like andy or tremour.

12/15/2002 4:52:23 PM

Western NY

while i don't have any experience adding lime to frozen ground, i'll tell you what i know. lime works slowly as it reacts in the ground. i doubt that there will be any additional benefit to adding it now, since the ground is so cold it sould stop any chemical reactions from happening at any significant level. besides, you would probably rather mix it in evenly rather than have it sit on top of the ground. if you can get some wood ashes, throw them on top of the snow at the last thaw. ash will raise the pH, and their darker color should melt the snow faster.

Andy

12/15/2002 5:00:23 PM

Morris, Connecticut

I would wait until you can work it into the soil in the spring. You run the risk of it running off with the snow melt if you apply it now. This can lead to portions of your garden with a higher pH than others instead of a uniform growing area.....

just a thought...

12/15/2002 6:21:38 PM

sounds like i better wait..just trying to get a jump on things..waiting is diffucult.john

12/15/2002 6:39:32 PM

[email protected]

It is better to wait for thaw. But that might not happen for a while depending on where you live. So try to get it in as soon as possible. I have customers waiting to lime fields just as soon as the snow clears. Even frozen, it's still better than waiting in the long run. If the ground is frozen less than an inch, a good tiller should still rip it up. You want to till the lime down throughout the soil profile.
If the opportunity never presents itself before March (& then the ground may be too wet), you may try hydrated lime, which works much faster.

Steve

12/15/2002 8:13:39 PM

Caceres, Spain

I'd wait, your soil texture would break down working a cold wet ground. If you get to close to planting time, the fastest way to rise pH could be wood ashes as Andy said. Good luck
Don

12/16/2002 1:04:17 AM

Timewell Il

I would sugest soil samples I am not a expert but have been told to much lime can hurt crop production,do know for a fact that lime needs to be mixed into the soil,my 2 cents worth
TIM

12/28/2002 7:45:43 PM