Hey everyone!

Lime products are generally used to raise pH levels in acidic soils.  Soils can become acidic for a number of reasons including natural weathering of soils due to leaching, and in some cases because of application of nitrogen fertilizers over a period of time.  As soil acidity increases, some essential nutrients in the soil become unavailable to plants.  To correct this, many home owners and farmers rely on lime to correct soil acidity.  Commonly used garden or lawn lime can be calcitic (from calcium carbonate rock) or dolomitic (calcium carbonate with a percent of magnesium carbonate).  The question is which one to use?  Both types of lime will work similarly to correct for acidic soil conditions, but dolomite should only be used in cases where soils are low on magnesium.  These tend to be high in sand content where the magnesium gets flushed out of the soil with rain.  In clay soils, adding magnesium will tend to compact soils, and make them more difficult to drain and till.  For a great explanation on lime products and how to use them, follow this link to NC State University Cooperative Extension.  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/cabarrus/staff/dgoforth/limefaq.html

Happy Growing!