Liquid calcium ?

Drycreek

Well-Known Member
On another forum someone posted about spraying liquid calcium on their plots in order to raise ph. If it works, it would be a solid solution to small plots where getting a lime truck in is not possible, and spreading with a tractor/seeder is always a pita and labor intensive chore, as well as more expensive.

As always, input is welcome !
 
I've been following that thread. I suspect a couple of things could have happened for him. One.... pelletized lime is slow and his previous years of work could just now be showing up. Two... plants uptake Ca and Mg. If it's removed from harvest then it needs replaced. Just going from ag to plots can increase pH over time.

Calcium doesn't actually change pH, what's attached to it does when the calcium compounds are dissolved. Acidity is an excess of hydrogen ions that have a + charge. Calcium has a 2+ charge so it's good at bringing in - charges that bind with and take out the H+'s. It's more complicated than that but what I'm trying to say is that pure calcium isn't a liming agent. It needs to bring stuff like oxygen in with it to neutralize anything. But adding calcium isn't a bad thing if your soil needs it.

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Cat, a lot of that is above my pay grade since I’m neither a farmer nor a chemist, but I get the part about spraying calcium if your plots need it. Wouldn’t spraying then tilling bring oxygen in ?

As for his past liming just now catching up, I’ve had good results with adding lime changing my ph in a matter of months. Where I live almost all soils are acidic, so my usual routine on a new plot is to guesstimate lime and disc it in pretty early, like maybe in February, then get a soil test first of May before I plant, amend as needed, then get another test before fall planting (if it’s gonna be planted in fall). Some of our plots are spring only, to help with nutrition. I’ve always thought that fewer fall plots promoted more movement, thus more opportunities.

I’ve not payed much attention to calcium levels in my soil tests, just went with fertilizer recommendations as closely as possible. We’re taking several samples next week in prep for spring plots and I’ll pay more attention from now on.

Thanks for your input.
 
Cat, a lot of that is above my pay grade since I’m neither a farmer nor a chemist, but I get the part about spraying calcium if your plots need it. Wouldn’t spraying then tilling bring oxygen in ?


Thanks for your input.
Negatory. Review what you have watched on Ray the soil guy.
 
I don’t know who Ray is much less watched anything from him dogghr. You might have me mixed up with someone else.
There is much to read on web or watch on youtube on regenerative soil management but one of the best to watch to get a feel is Ray the soil guy on youtube. I throw him out so much when speaking of soil management guess I thot he and his methods had been discussed a bunch. Anyways, read/watch his stuff it can be an eye opener especially for those like myself who deal with less than ideal soils. And there are plenty others to read and watch. Makes my wife laugh pretty good when I spend an hour reading about dirt, as she says.
Most farmers around me now manage their soils year round by choosing crop rotations properly and leaving no bare soil while doing little if any tillage thus preserving the micro and macro flora that exists within the soil and helping to prevent leaching of elements from the soil, all while improving OM, CEC, etc. which makes for better cropping and less cost of additives in fertilizers and lime. Always look at soils just as we do the fields or forests, all are living organisms of a communtity supporting each other. As one is disturbed, the snowball affect changes the balance. Sorry for the confusion with my comment ,wasn't trying to be a smart...


One of many...
 
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I’m aware that tilling is not the best thing for your soils, but the guys who can do throw and mow with large seeds don’t plant in hog country. It can’t be done where I live and I’m not going to spend the money for a drill just to plant five acres of food plots. So I guess I’m gonna keep on with my program. For the record, I didn’t think you were being a smart......aleck:)
 
No I wasn’t condemning your reasoning for tillage but simply a response to your question if wouldn’t the tillage facilitate reaction wanted by spraying liquid calcium?
My point is that I think it would negate the effect as oxygen exposure of the soil/ OM causes mineralization of the organic matter expiditing its depletion and release of carbon dioxide from the soil. With this breakdown causes changes in the soil community which I think would negate effects of the liquid spray including loss of moisture retention.
Protecting seeds from hogs is certainly a different consideration.


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