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Lime is a much-needed product for crop production. It serves several
purposes. It is a plant nutrient and more importantly it is used in the
correction of low pH. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. A pH of 6.1-6.5 and in
some cases 6.8 is pH’s to correct to in liming. Legumes require a higher pH
because bacteria producing nitrogen within the nodules perform better at near
neutral levels. Nemaha county is blessed with quarries that provide quality lime. There are 4-5 quarries close enough to use. Several have been out of lime from time to time, but for the most part lime is always available. The quality of the lime is not an issue. From time to time a rumor emerges that claims the lime is too high in Magnesium. This is a non-issue. Kansas State University research claims that only soils from parent material high in Magnesium can have a potential for problems. The soils in question are located in California. The way to determine what lime to use is to use the analysis of the lime in ECC (Effective Calcium Carbonate) and figure the tons required moving the pH to where you want. Take the distance from the quarry by the tons to get your freight. Determine the spread costs from who will apply the lime. When you put the three factors, tons, freight and application together from the quarries you are considering, take the least cost source. A great source for information on lime and liming is to get extension publication Crops and Soils 4-1 JH3-93-5M , written by Ray Lamond and David Whitney. |
