Plot Start As Allternative to Pelletized Lime

[HNT ETX]

I got soil sample results back for a hard to reach location. My soil is awful and they state that I need 9,500lbs/acre of lime to get the PH up between 6.5 - 7.0. Because this spot is very hard to reach pelletized lime is not an option. According to Deergro the 2.5 gallon jug of plotstart is equal to 1-ton of lime. Should I use 11.875 gallons of plot start on this 1 acre plot to reach the 9,500lb lime requirement?

I got a response back from plotstart and they said the soil can only process so much at a time and start with 5 gallons and then repeat next yr, but that does not really help me this yr. Does any one with knowledge on this topic know if there is an alternative to pellitized lime to get my PH up or just accept that I will fall a little short this yr of the required PH.

Also, I will be adding 600lbs of 0-20-20 fertilize. Would it be safe to do this all at planting time or should i do a couple weeks before? i plan to just spread on ground and till in and then plant on top of that. It will be clover so I will just spread seed on top of tilled ground and then run over with a cultipacker.

[wytex]

Can you get bags or a load of powdered lime from a cement company near you? You may be able to find garden lime and /or builders lime. Possibly get some garden lime from a limestone or dolomite quarry near you? They usually have powder and when I checked up here it was way cheaper than going to the feed store, they had bags also- another option maybe.

[Drycreek3189]

You can buy pelletized lime in bags, probably at your local feed store. If you can get a tractor in there with a spreader it will do the job. I’ve done it many times in those small plots that are hard to reach. Unless you have a lime spreader, do not buy powdered lime, it won’t work well for you in a cyclone spreader. Good luck !

[HNT ETX]

Thanks for your response wytex. The volume (9,500lbs) is the obstacle, so powdered lime will be a similar scenario to pelletized. I may just be out of luck.

I wonder about the Plotstart since i have used it the last two years and my PH is still 4.1 in this field. I was under the impression that it had some lasting affects, but maybe not? I have used the plot start equivelant of 1-ton of lime on this plot the last two seasons, I would think my PH would be higher than 4.1.

[HNT ETX]

One bump to top to see if anyone else has any input. Any ideas on when to plant in relation to when to fertilize welcome.

[Double R 2]

Check out Jeff Sturgis of Whitetail Habitat. I saw a video of him a few days ago using Plotstarter or something very similar to it. He says it works well.

[HNT ETX]

Checked out the videos, thanks.

[dbaio1]

I try your equivalent of PlotStart for two tons of lime over a 2 month period, retest and be prepared to re-apply Plotstart unitl achieved ph is reached. Might take 3-4 times, rhen figure out maintenance to keep it.

[.243 WSSM]

What is your current pH value? When you did a soil test did you take a sample from one or 2 spots on the acre or did you take samples from 5 different areas on that acre and did you dig down 6" or take some from the first couple of inches? It is possible that you may have an erroneously low pH reading and not representative of the entire 1 acre. Yes, 9,500 lbs is a lot of lime. If your current pH is around 4 something and your goal is 6.5-7, I think you need to rethink your current coal. Trying to up your pH by 3-3.5 points is going to take a while and I think you would be better looking at it as trying to raise your pH by 1.5 points this year. If you get to 5.5, you are much better off than at 4.0. You are wanting to add 600 lbs of fertilizer with no nitrogen content. This is for a clover/legume plot I assume? I think you would be better off focusing on adding pelletized lime and getting your pH higher vs adding any fertilizer. I would put out 25 bags of pelletized lime now and disc in and add another 25 bags before spring. I wouldn't mess with the plotstart liquid anymore. The real proof will be how your plot looks. I limed heavily the past 2 years and everything I have planted from sesame to sunflowers to wheat looks more robust and thicker and I havent used fertilizer. Once you start hauling those bags of lime and getting them out in the field you start realizing you are adding a lot to the soil. Keep us posted of your results and good look

[Stuck]

Keep in mind, you're planting a food plot, not farming 2k acres for profit. Not saying getting the soil right is a bad thing, just saying if you plant it green stuff will grow for the deer to eat.

[RMW]

Get you some Mojo liquid lime. Put down 500lbs -0-20-20 per acre and it will grow just fine

[RMW]

I’d do all right before you plant it, wait till you see some rain in the forecast

[Aggiebush]

We use a liquid lime, and just spray it with our tailgate sprayer. Our plots are much smaller than yours, but it definitely seems to work well for us.

[bowhuntertex]

Look into Grasshopper Fertilizer. They have a liquid lime that works great.

[HNT ETX]

Thanks all. Looked at some of these options that were recommended and even stumbled across some other options. I may go a different route next year, but from what I can tell what I am doing is a short term solution and SHOULD work well enough. I am going to till and apply PS as soon as I can and then fertilize, seed and cultipack prior to expected rain and see how it goes.

Thanks for the input.