Pelletized lime lowers acidity.
Proper lawn and garden management sometimes requires liming your soil. In the humid eastern U.S., where the annual rainfall exceeds 30 inches, soils tend to lose important alkaline-forming ions, such as magnesium and calcium, which results in low pH balances and high soil acidity. This prevents new turf from growing and can be disastrous to gardens, lawns, and crops. Pelletized lime -- among other liming products -- has been available on the market since the early 1980s and is designed to combat high acid levels in soil.
Components
Pelletized lime is manufactured by granulating finely ground agricultural lime. It can contain different mineral properties -- being either calcitic or dolomitic -- depending on the original limestone's nature. A cementing agent, called lignosulfonate, is introduced into the granulated lime so that it takes the form of pellets. Other binding agents such as cane molasses, brewex and molex may be used instead of lignosulfonate, as they are more cost-effective. Lignosulfonate, however, is the most effective cementing agent.
Purpose
If your soil has been tested and has a pH balance of 6.0 or below, you might need to consider liming it. If soil is too acidic, grass and certain flowers and crops will be adversely affected. Pelletized lime works to lessen acidity by adding calcium and magnesium carbonates to the soil. The pelletized lime reacts with the water and carbon dioxide in the soil, starting a small chain of chemical reactions that ultimately leads to carbon dioxide production, which increases the soil pH to healthier levels.
Uses
Homeowners are the most frequent users of pelletized lime. Farmer do use it for crops, but because it tends to be more expensive than other liming products, it is not generally used for large-scale agricultural use. While there are cheaper liming products, like burned lime, hydrated lime or marl, homeowners tend to prefer pelletized lime for its easy application. Not to mention, with pelletized lime you don't have to worry about the messy dust problem commonly associated with pulverized liming products.
Purchasing
You can buy pelletized lime at just about any store or retail outlet that specializes in home and garden care, like Lowes or Home Depot. Walmart and K-Mart carry pelletized lime, as well. At the time of publication, you can buy a 40-lb. bag of pelletized lime for little more than $5.
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