# A lime question



## Bret4207 (Mar 29, 2011)

How do you determine the effectiveness of a lime product? We have a lot of quarries locally that mine marble and similar minerals. They sell the waste as agricultural lime, but I'm not sure how effective it is as a lime product. How is the product tested at the "home level" to determine potency?


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Bret, I would ask them for an analysis and then I bet that vhaby, haywilson or other knowledgeable people could help you determine which might be best. Mike


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

They mine Zinc in this area. The limestone bearing zinc ore is crushed and the zinc is extracted. The left over finely crushed limestone is used for agriculture. I think marble is even better if it is crushed fine enough.
I think marble is very high class limestone.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Bret4207 said:


> How do you determine the effectiveness of a lime product? We have a lot of quarries locally that mine marble and similar minerals. They sell the waste as agricultural lime, but I'm not sure how effective it is as a lime product. How is the product tested at the "home level" to determine potency?


At the "home level" testing a liming material for potency will take several years of crop production following liming and comparison of a high quality limestone to the material being tested. A simpler way to determine the potency of a liming material for neutralizing soil acidity is to ask the producing company for the calcium carbonate equivalence determined by chemical analysis and for the effective calcium carbonate equivalence determined by physical particle size screening combined with calcium carbonate equivalence. Companies selling liming materials should be able to provide this information to you.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

It usually takes a year for me to notice any visible affect of lime.
I can apply a tone per acre and the next year the soil analysis will still say I need 1,000 lbs.
It is different when I use Basic Slag. We can buy it in the bulk locally. It is 60% - 80% lime. The other parts are nutrients.
Lime will not green up my hay fields or pastures. Basic slag will.


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## Bret4207 (Mar 29, 2011)

vhaby said:


> At the "home level" testing a liming material for potency will take several years of crop production following liming and comparison of a high quality limestone to the material being tested. A simpler way to determine the potency of a liming material for neutralizing soil acidity is to ask the producing company for the calcium carbonate equivalence determined by chemical analysis and for the effective calcium carbonate equivalence determined by physical particle size screening combined with calcium carbonate equivalence. Companies selling liming materials should be able to provide this information to you.


Okay, so what numbers should I be looking for compared to the far more expensive actual "lime"?


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Laboratories in our region recommend limestone based on tons of ECCE 100% per acre. ECCE refers to Effective Calcium Carbonate Equivanence. Liming materials really ought to have an ECCE of at least 80%. Some really good liming materials have ECCE = 100%.

Depending on what your cost for an alternative liming material is, you could be paying more for the actual limestone that you are getting in the alternative material than if you purchased actual limestone with an ECCE of between 90 and 100%.

For example, the lab recommended 1 ton of ECCE 100% limestone based on your soil test. If you purchase a liming material that has an ECCE of 50% at a cost of $35 per ton spread, and you could buy limestone with an ECCE of 100% (very fine limestone) for $50 per ton spread, you would need to purchase two tons of the ECCE 50% material to get the recommended rate of ECCE 100% limestone. Purchasing the lower ECCE material and getting it applied to equal the recommended application of 100% ECCE limestone would cost you $70/acre instead of $50 that you could have paid for the ECCE 100% limestone.


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## Bret4207 (Mar 29, 2011)

Okay, now I get it! Thanks very much for your help.


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