No one sells LIME in Arizona.
5 lb bag of lime is $61.50 on Ebay.
Where can I buy LIME online or Lime Substitute?
https://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog ... Search+All
available:
HomeDepot
Avondale #441
1489 N Dysart Rd
Avondale, AZ 85323
(623)925-2896
available:
HomeDepot
Avondale #441
1489 N Dysart Rd
Avondale, AZ 85323
(623)925-2896
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applestar
- Mod
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Gary, TZ posted a very thorough information on BER -- it's a sticky at the top of the tomato forum
https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewto ... 15&t=25876
(I'll delete the extra posts -- it must have been the "clicked several times" though I don't think I've seen quite so many recently -- quintuple posts!
)
https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewto ... 15&t=25876(I'll delete the extra posts -- it must have been the "clicked several times" though I don't think I've seen quite so many recently -- quintuple posts!
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7445
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
BER?
It took me a few minutes to learn what BER is.
Arizona soil has no organic material and no food value for plants. I assumed since it is clay, river silt and sand maybe it might contain some lime for tomatoes. I guessed wrong.
I have been adding acid to my soil from Limes and Lemons I picked up at Road Mart.
Road Mart = neighbor hood trash piled on the city streets.
Acid from 100s of lemons and limes has lowered PH from 8.5 to 8 using PH paper to test it.
I tilled in manure and compost but never added any lime.
Gardening in AZ is a challenge, I am still learning. Corn is 5 ft tall and seems to be doing fine.
Okra looks good but still very small.
Tomato plants look great but lots of BER.
Zucchini squash are coming at a rate of 5 per day we have Over Dosed on these already.
Bush beans plants are yellow instead of green not sure what that is about, it looks like nitrogen shortage but nitrogen has not helped yet?
Melons are going crazy if the crop turns out as good as it appears it will be great.
Bell peppers plants are small but they are loaded with base ball size bell peppers.
It took me a few minutes to learn what BER is.
Arizona soil has no organic material and no food value for plants. I assumed since it is clay, river silt and sand maybe it might contain some lime for tomatoes. I guessed wrong.
I have been adding acid to my soil from Limes and Lemons I picked up at Road Mart.
Road Mart = neighbor hood trash piled on the city streets.
Acid from 100s of lemons and limes has lowered PH from 8.5 to 8 using PH paper to test it.
I tilled in manure and compost but never added any lime.
Gardening in AZ is a challenge, I am still learning. Corn is 5 ft tall and seems to be doing fine.
Okra looks good but still very small.
Tomato plants look great but lots of BER.
Zucchini squash are coming at a rate of 5 per day we have Over Dosed on these already.
Bush beans plants are yellow instead of green not sure what that is about, it looks like nitrogen shortage but nitrogen has not helped yet?
Melons are going crazy if the crop turns out as good as it appears it will be great.
Bell peppers plants are small but they are loaded with base ball size bell peppers.
You have alkaline soil so the last thing you want to add is lime-limestone-dolomite.
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is generally used on that type of soil to adjust pH and help increase nutrient availability. But it won't help your blossom end rot which is a water availability and fruit shape problem, not a soil calcium problem.
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is generally used on that type of soil to adjust pH and help increase nutrient availability. But it won't help your blossom end rot which is a water availability and fruit shape problem, not a soil calcium problem.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
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- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
I guess it is possible to have too much alkaline and not enough Lime.
I found some over priced Lime at a Hippy shop. They sell grow lights and all the supplies to grow your own weed.
Lowe's and Home Depot do not stock Lime. They don't sell enough of it to keep it in stock.
My beans are yellow instead of green I assume the plants need lime too. No one sells Ammonium Nitrate or Urea in Arizona the only nitrogen fertilizer available is Ammonium Sulfate and it contains sulfur. All the fertilizers are for deserts plants and they all contain up to 10% sulfur none of them contain Lime.
I found some over priced Lime at a Hippy shop. They sell grow lights and all the supplies to grow your own weed.
Lowe's and Home Depot do not stock Lime. They don't sell enough of it to keep it in stock.
My beans are yellow instead of green I assume the plants need lime too. No one sells Ammonium Nitrate or Urea in Arizona the only nitrogen fertilizer available is Ammonium Sulfate and it contains sulfur. All the fertilizers are for deserts plants and they all contain up to 10% sulfur none of them contain Lime.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7445
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
It sucks to live in a 3rd world country or should I say 3rd world STATE = Arizona where you can not buy good garden supplies!!!
The over priced LIME I bought is really crushed organic lime stone. It is tiny little pieces of rock about the size of Okra seeds. I don't usually buy organic it is a complete waste of money for what you get.
In Tennessee I bought 2400 lbs of crushed lime stone for my 25 x 50 garden. Lime stone is too SLOW release for tomatoes it will not stop BER but every little bit helps. I don't expect this over priced lime stone to help my tomatoes either.
Generic TUMS are $2 per bottle at Wal Mart. 100 Tables 1000 mg each. I gave each tomato plant 2 TUMS and Tums 12" apart in the 2 bean rows. Tums = Calcium Carbonate.
A 50 lb bag of Calcium Carbonate at Industrial Chemical Supply is about $12. it will take a week to get it shipped in.
I tried to order a bag of Pelletized Lime from Farmers Co-op in TN but they will not send it, pick up only.
I left a whole 50 lb bag of Pelletized Lime in the garage in TN maybe I can get my Son to mail me a Flat Rate postage box full.
The over priced LIME I bought is really crushed organic lime stone. It is tiny little pieces of rock about the size of Okra seeds. I don't usually buy organic it is a complete waste of money for what you get.
In Tennessee I bought 2400 lbs of crushed lime stone for my 25 x 50 garden. Lime stone is too SLOW release for tomatoes it will not stop BER but every little bit helps. I don't expect this over priced lime stone to help my tomatoes either.
Generic TUMS are $2 per bottle at Wal Mart. 100 Tables 1000 mg each. I gave each tomato plant 2 TUMS and Tums 12" apart in the 2 bean rows. Tums = Calcium Carbonate.
A 50 lb bag of Calcium Carbonate at Industrial Chemical Supply is about $12. it will take a week to get it shipped in.
I tried to order a bag of Pelletized Lime from Farmers Co-op in TN but they will not send it, pick up only.
I left a whole 50 lb bag of Pelletized Lime in the garage in TN maybe I can get my Son to mail me a Flat Rate postage box full.
Fully composted citrus is about neutral. Partially composted anything can retain its original PH.
As long as you understand BER has to do with the temperature sensitive ability of tomato to take up calcium, and is seasonal. So that the simple addition of anything won't make it go away.
if only adding calcium will help you sleep nights, put a couple Tums in each hole, at plant out.
As long as you understand BER has to do with the temperature sensitive ability of tomato to take up calcium, and is seasonal. So that the simple addition of anything won't make it go away.
if only adding calcium will help you sleep nights, put a couple Tums in each hole, at plant out.
ah,,,,,, let's talk about BER a bit . . .
the exact precise causes of BER are actually not known to the nth degree. a few things that "appear" to be known:
BER happens when the bloom is pollinated, because . . .
at that point temperature, pH, soil conditions, nutrient availability, etc. are not "within bounds"
and the "apparent" leading issue is temperature - basically "everything" is there, but the plant is unable to utilize "all the stuff that is there" due to soil /air temps
and there are charts which show "availability" of nutrients vs pH - going to extremes is not a good thing.
as most gardeners observe, one gets some BER in the earliest fruits, but as time goes on BER "goes away"
there are rafts and rafts of "garden tales" on how to prevent. match heads cut off into the hole, eggshells in the hole, coupla Tums tablets set in the hole.
if you think it's a calcium shortage, crush up some antacid tablets - very readily available calcium - which is what the lime is all about. put 1-2 tablets in the hole with the plant - that is multiple ten-thousands of calcium the tomato will need. it is not necessary to bury the neighborhood in "lime" for a couple tomato plants to get adequate calcium.
wasted money on crushed / pelletized . . .
being where you are, odds are your natural soil is already past 'best state' for veggies. I.e. pH is too high.
....everything has sulfur
ayup. sulfur compounds tend to make soil more acid. likely exactly what you need.
here in the "old country" = east coast commercial farms need lime because they use so much acidifying artificial fertilizers, the pH goes down (ie acid)
>>plants are yellow instead of green
lime is not the answer. nitrogen perhaps, lime definitely not.
>>urea
is a highly soluble ultra potent form of nitrogen fertilizer.
if you want an organic nitrogen boost for your plants, side dress with blood meal.
does wonders for beans and vampires.
the exact precise causes of BER are actually not known to the nth degree. a few things that "appear" to be known:
BER happens when the bloom is pollinated, because . . .
at that point temperature, pH, soil conditions, nutrient availability, etc. are not "within bounds"
and the "apparent" leading issue is temperature - basically "everything" is there, but the plant is unable to utilize "all the stuff that is there" due to soil /air temps
and there are charts which show "availability" of nutrients vs pH - going to extremes is not a good thing.
as most gardeners observe, one gets some BER in the earliest fruits, but as time goes on BER "goes away"
there are rafts and rafts of "garden tales" on how to prevent. match heads cut off into the hole, eggshells in the hole, coupla Tums tablets set in the hole.
if you think it's a calcium shortage, crush up some antacid tablets - very readily available calcium - which is what the lime is all about. put 1-2 tablets in the hole with the plant - that is multiple ten-thousands of calcium the tomato will need. it is not necessary to bury the neighborhood in "lime" for a couple tomato plants to get adequate calcium.
wasted money on crushed / pelletized . . .
being where you are, odds are your natural soil is already past 'best state' for veggies. I.e. pH is too high.
....everything has sulfur
ayup. sulfur compounds tend to make soil more acid. likely exactly what you need.
here in the "old country" = east coast commercial farms need lime because they use so much acidifying artificial fertilizers, the pH goes down (ie acid)
>>plants are yellow instead of green
lime is not the answer. nitrogen perhaps, lime definitely not.
>>urea
is a highly soluble ultra potent form of nitrogen fertilizer.
if you want an organic nitrogen boost for your plants, side dress with blood meal.
does wonders for beans and vampires.
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7445
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
jal_ut wrote:Try a lumber yard or masonry supply house. Lime is an ingredient in plaster and mortar.
OK, that said, be aware that lime is strongly alkaline. If is not acidic. You likely need some acid not more alkalinity.
I bet a bag of cement will work. Cement is powdered Lime stone baked at 5000 degrees.