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I got 6-7 yards of dump mulch that has been composing for about 2 months.
A professional gardener friend of mine said to add lime to it.
SO I had a 4# bag of Hydrated Horticultural Lime so I threw that on there yesterday... Now the feed store said that Hydrated lime is bad and recommended that I throw a big bag of chicken manure on it so I did that too...
Now I'm hearing different things from different people.
That I should let that sit for a couple weeks before using...
And others say it's O.K. to use it now.
I know now that I should have used Dolomite lime...But I can't very well go back in time, can I?
What do I do?
Mahalo for any feedback.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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We use hydrated lime in our mulch pile. The mulch I get from the dump in Hilo, we pile up about 8 truck loads (3/4 ton truck) and cover it with a tarp for 3 months; turning once a week. Then I run it all through the chipper, add 2 truck loads of cinder/soil from Puna Rock, chicken-horse-bunny poops, kitchen scraps and 5 35lb bags of hydrated lime.
We get the torn bags of lime for a discount from Brewer. We use the same lime to make stucco, masacre the coquis, coat the chicken/sheep pen entries and a hundred other uses. We have very acidic soil so we use alot of it. Hydrated lime raises pH much more and much faster than dolomitic so you use less product and it's cheaper but it has less magnesium. Soil test kits for pH are cheap and so is epsom salt for the Mg, but if you have tightly grained (water holding) soil, you don't need to add Mg. Hydrated lime reacts faster with water than dol, you can use it right away, but dolomite is kind of time-release compared to hyd lime.
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thanks mailesomaha.
So you're saying I can use it now?
And is it safe for edible plants?
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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This website for the University of Rhode Island says that the Maximum hydrated lime is 20 lbs per 1,000 square feet
http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/lime.html
We try to keep our growing areas at around 6.5 pH and besides our flowering plants we don't get too technical about the different needs of different plants; everyone has to eat whatever i make for dinner!
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"We try to keep our growing areas at around 6.5 pH and besides our flowering plants we don't get too technical about the different needs of different plants; everyone has to eat whatever i make for dinner!"
I LOVE THIS STATEMENT!!!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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I mean, I would use it right away; if you're so inclined, use it right away. The only problem I can see is that it might 'burn' some delicate plants. I haven't actually experienced that happening. Especially if you've really put only 4 lbs in that much mulch. I put straight lime on my palms, vegetables, (including pretty ripe tomatoes)and on my flowering plants and I've never experienced any burning. That was for the coquis. Of course, some people put in straight in their mouth accompanied by a beetlenut; craaaaaazy!
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I would caution you about being careful when handling hydrated lime. Hydrated lime is the component in cement which burns your skin when handled wet.
Hydrated lime is also known as calcium hydroxide, a close relative of sodium hydroxide which is also known as lye. Lye is a great plugged drain unclogger when used properly and is also used in conjunction with various fatty substances to make soap.
Both lye and hydrated lime are strong bases which will burn your skin and are particularly damaging to mucous membranes and eyes. Proper safety gear would probably be safety glasses or goggles, a dustmask, and rubber or neoprene gloves.
Agricultural lime is calcium and sometimes magnesium carbonate. Think chalk. Much slower to react and much safer to handle.
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It actually doesn't burn your skin, it's drying for sure. Prolonged exposure is not great for your lungs; for sure a dust mask is needed if it's dry and you're flinging it around. I expect a mulch pile to be wet.
Hydrated lime is also calcium and only trace amounts, if any, of mag. It's actually not at all close to lye in it's dangerous properties; it's not a good comparison.
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According to the MSDS (material safety data sheet) it is classified as a "strong irritant with the risk of serious eye damage" and "respiratory irritation". If you want to fling it around like it is flour, go for it, but publicly advocating that others follow your example, and dismissing advice that people handle it with care is just irresponsible. Chemicals can be very helpful, but each compound requires research and care to handle appropriately and safely. Better to use care and the right protective equipment, rather than risk permanent eye damage.
Safety first!
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Actually, it's not possible to perceive that I was advocating "flinging it around" and NOT to handle it safely. Only to handle it according to what it is, not according to what it is not.
Kind of like a flea if you ask me....and boring!
