Crab Meal and Agricultural Lime?

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by rizzo30, Jul 25, 2013.

  1. I agree Jerry.  For that neem cake from neemresource, I bought the biggest bag that they had.  I was kicking myself for awhile at that decision because I have a shitload of neem cake laying around.  On the flip side, that means I will have it for probably the rest of my life so I can have no bugs in my garden.  Otherwise I have been doing that also with other stuff such as Kelp meal.  I bought a 55 pound bag of Algamin kelp meal for $70.  Now I have a shitload of kelp meal.
     
    At the time that 12 pound bucket of crab shells was a good deal to me since its all I need and it was what I could afford at the time.  I only paid $35 for it with shipping included.  The 50 pound bag is a better deal by volume and I probably would have went that route instead if I had more money budgeted at the time.
     
    I am starting to buy bigger bags of everything for the most part.  Even with those espoma organic ferts you can get 20 pound bags of them ordered from wal-mart at a cost of only $20 per bag with no shipping charged to have them delivered to your walmart.  I have an 8 pound bag of their garden tone and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface on it.  Its a bit more money up front, but I think the stuff will last forever and not go bad as long as its kept dry.  I don't think microbes go bad as far as I know.

     
  2. I'm done being "creative" with the amendments I add directly into the soil mix...I'm focusing most of my energy on my vermi bins and composting instead of trying to find "the next big item". This is the breakdown of the amendments I use now, though I do have a large variety of minerals and others from a while back I only put those in my vermibin or compost piles. Prices include shipping on the crab and neem bags, the rest I can source locally. 
     
     
    $50 - 50 lbs of crab shell
    $45 - 50 lbs of kelp meal
    $100 - 50 lbs of pressed neem seed (Ahimsa)
    $10 per 3 c.f compressed bale/bag of peat
    $10 per 50 lbs of oyster shell flour
    $6 per c.f. of lava rock (less if you buy bulk, not bags)
    I use my own vermicompost yet had to source some Dairy Doo (Composted dairy manure at $7 a c.f., much less if bought in bulk) a little while back...but that's because I was lazy earlier this year in getting the compost pile made up. ATM I'm too tired to bother with the math, though I shouldn't run out of amendments for years.  
     
    A good sized investment upfront considering the alternative, in terms of energy, time and resources, though the stability of a healthy mix blew any doubt in my mind away once things got a rockin'.
     
    It really is as simple as most state, once you understand the general principles of a healthy soil. Humus, aeration and nutrition (organic material)....boom. Plenty of other things you can do to a mix but that's the gist of it.
     
  3. #63 tdf, Sep 19, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 19, 2013
    You said your mix had Agricultural lime . Now you say Dolomite. Which one is it. They are not the same, not at all. I know you didn't ask but here's a quick simple definition of different limes.
     
                           Agricultural Lime ; Small chunks of limestone that dissolve slowly. The more you use the higher your ph.
                           Hydrated Lime ;  Powdered form of agricutural lime. Dissolves quickly, raising ph quickly. The more you use the higher your ph.
                           Dolomite Lime :  Has gone thru a certain prosess that when used it will NEVER raise your ph above 7 no matter how much you use. Pretty cool huh?
     
    I did say a simple explanation.
     
  4. I actually had to take a look at the bag and also looked in the hydro book that I got it out of.  I bought it at a hydro store and it says that it is Dolomite Lime.  It is a fine powder.  No chunks.  The bag does say Agricultural Limestone on it and then below that it says Calcitic/Dolomitic.  Its pulverized and they call it Dolomite Lime.
     
  5. #65 tdf, Sep 19, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 19, 2013
    Sounds like it is dolomite then. Dolomite lime starts as agricultural lime then processed in some way to make it dolomitic. You got the good stuff ! Dolomite can come in many different forms, chunky to powdered.
     
  6.  
    Awesome.  It seems to be working fine so I figured it was.  I couldn't find anything on it on the net at all so I found a picture of it.  The guy at the local hydro store gave me a book by Gardners Digest and pretty much anything thats in the book he can order for me.  This 50 pound bag of Dolomite Lime was in it and it was only $13 plus tax.  It would probably cost well over $40 just to ship that. I posted a picture of it since I couldn't find one.
     
    You are also correct about it only being able to raise ph to 7. It has the capability to raise ph to 7 and no higher.  I guess thats ideal because I think these plants love about 6.5.
     

    Attached Files:

  7.  
    Best do some research, you are incorrect.
     
    Dolomite lime comes from dolomitic limestone it doesn't start as anything else. You can also refer to the Dolomite mtns in Italy.
     
    Agricultural limestone is whatever is suitable for agricultural purposes. In SoFl we used ground Oolitic limestone. There are more than a few types of limestone.
     
    Hydrated lime is chemically treated and cooked. I've seen both Calcitic and Dolomitic lime that has been hydrated. It's a process, not a particular type of lime.
     
    A bit of google might help you out and better inform you.
     
    Wet
     
  8. Yes you are correct. I miss read. (bad eyes)
     
  9. You got the 'right stuff'.
     
    Wet
     
  10. i was searching '' AGRICULTURAL LIME''.....and this thread really shined some light o my question,
     

Share This Page