Spreader lime/fertilizer spreader questions

JohnnyDark · Apr 11, 2005

i am thinking about buying a 3 point spreader and was wondering if you can spread powdered lime with one? thanks johnny

creeper · Apr 11, 2005

Local farmers do it all the time around here, A little dusty tho,may want to wear a mask.

teddydo · Apr 11, 2005

I hate to disagree with the other guy but I have frist hand expenience with a small threepoint hitch seeder. I will not spread lime, It does a great job with fertilizer and seed. But you had better clean it well after spreading fertilizer or it will be short lived. The lime just will not come out it just packs when you fill it and that's where it stays. Luck to you and sorry to disagree with the fellow poster......teddy

grandad · Apr 11, 2005

My local ag supply dealer sells pelletized lime in 50lb bags... works better for a broadcast spreader, but he's just a couple miles up the road and can put down 8 tons of the stuff on my place in 10 minutes with his truck. If you have any amount of acreage, you may find it about as cheap and much easier to go that route vs. slingin' those bags yourself.

JohnnyDark · Apr 11, 2005

i have had the truck come out from baker limestone in the past , but i am in the process of converting some woods into pasture. i have thinned them out but not enough for the spreader truck to go thru without problems.

JohnnyDark · Apr 11, 2005

do you know how much the 50 lb bags route cost per ton?

johan3400 · Apr 11, 2005

That will depend how close you are to the processing plant. Last year the 50 pound bags retailed for between $4.50 and $5.50. The pelletized lime works well through most small 3pt spreaders. Sometimes you need to keep the weight down in your spreader to keep it from packing in. I ussually keep it at no more than 2 bags. It is a pain if you are spreading a large area, but it helps.

jeff_jeff · Apr 11, 2005

I put 3000 pound of ag lime through my cheap cosmo spreader every year - I usually load 7 or 8 50 lb bags at a time - works without a problem - I have to do it that way since none of the lime guys will come out to our farm for such a small amount

greg_g · Apr 11, 2005

( do you know how much the 50 lb bags route cost per ton? )

If you go by THIS, it would be about $110 bucks. But they come 75 bags to a pallet (3000 lbs), and I think you can negotiate something like a 20% discount for "pallet rate".

Regular ag lime (powdered) compacts in my broadcast spreader too. I get the lime trucks in for the big patches, then spread pelletized lime with my tractor to cover the areas they miss. I've got a 10bu spreader, but never actually counted how many bags it takes to top it up - I'm guessing maybe 15

//greg//

Egon · Apr 12, 2005

Think the spreader design will be the determing factor for spreading powdered lime.

I have a little pull behind two bag model that required a few modifications before it worked properly with lime.

The area I lime is not Truck friendly due to steepness and moisture.

If possible I'd go the truck route with proper dedicated equipment able to apply the lime at the required rate.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

creeper · Apr 12, 2005

Maybe your spreader does not have an agitator inside the hopper ? The spreaders I have seen work are red cone spreaders with 750 lb capacity and I think the brand was cosmo?

RalphVa · Apr 12, 2005

I've used the little hand spreaders to spread dusty lime. However, the granular is better. That's what I'd get for a big spreader. It'll take the lime almost a year to work its way into the soil anyway, granular or dust.

Ralph

greg_g · Apr 12, 2005

( Maybe your spreader does not have an agitator inside the hopper ? )

Maybe Teddy's doesn't, but mine (a Caroni, I think) has a removeable agitator. The first time I tried it with crushed lime, I removed it - haven't used it since. The agitator compressed the lime at the bottom of the funnel - the last foot or so - to a consistency where nothing would come out. I had to dump the lime out on the ground, and basically chip the agitator out.

And yes, the lime was dry - the spreader was dry - the day was dry. That's the point at which I went to granular lime, and never looked back. It costs about $30/tn more, a difference I consider worthwhile just to avoid the aggravation of a bunged-up spreader.

Don't get me wrong, there might be better agitator designs out there. In my case I had to find out the hard way, that I bought one that was apparently not designed with crushed/powdered lime in mind.

//greg//

creeper · Apr 12, 2005

Man, sounds like a pain. I also use granular,but he asked about powder , and I have seen it done without any trouble, must be the exception to the rule?

grandad · Apr 12, 2005

I have a small manual push spreader, a garden tractor sized one, and a 500 lb. 3pt PTO spreader. The lime pellets work fine in all of them. Also, way less dust than the crushed lime powder!

Soundguy · Apr 13, 2005

The powdered ag lime is cheaper.. but doesn't broadcast very far.. peletized lime speads nice.. but cost more.. etc.

That dusty lime runs pretty good thru a drop spreader though...

Soundguy

woodlot · Apr 13, 2005

I talked to co-op today about lime. They will come out to my place and spread ag lime for 19 bucks a ton. The 50 lb bags of pellets run 5 bucks a bag (200 dollars a ton) I pick-up, haul, and spread. Ummmmm........I think I know which route I'm taking!

Also, someone mentioned that both will take about a year to change soil pH. I don't think thats true. I've always read that pellitized lime will effect the pH MUCH faster than ag lime. Because of the fast breakdown I believe the max application rate for pellets is 50lb/1,000 sq ft. If you're soil test calls for more you should apply in two applications sepatated by approx 6 months.

rozett · Apr 13, 2005

( Also, someone mentioned that both will take about a year to change soil pH. I don't think thats true. I've always read that pellitized lime will effect the pH MUCH faster than ag lime. Because of the fast breakdown I believe the max application rate for pellets is 50lb/1,000 sq ft. If you're soil test calls for more you should apply in two applications sepatated by approx 6 months. )

I was told the same thing by my local supplier, but if you google on 'pettitized lime' you will find reports from numerous universities that are similar to this quote from the UKy Extension Service

"Contrary to popular belief, the speed of reaction of pelletized lime is no faster than that of bulk ag lime. "

HayDR · Apr 29, 2005

Hydrated lime or often called burnt lime works immediately when applied to the soil. Pelletized lime and agricultural line needs 6 months to one year before the lime starts to react in the soil. It often takes 2 years for agricultural lime to realize its full benefit in the soil.