i was told to add the lime to the soil not the water so do i just sprinkle it on top as i cant mix it into the soil as the soil is quite tough as it is root bound?
It will take a couple of weeks from the top dressing to really work. You'll get good results, just not instant ones. This is why you add it to your mix beforehand. Wet
Think he means add it to your soil or soilless mix before planting. Espically if using peat which is acidic. Weeeeeeeeeeeee first post.
Is that a question??.....If your root bound you need to transplant because lime won't help.... Yes you can add as a top dressing, but if you do transplant mix the lime in the potting mix. Another thing is, if the soil is hard and tough you may not be getting good saturation in the soil. This is probably from soil quality. If your getting a fast run off where water is just running through the drain holes, can be from the soil, or root bound. The calcium in the lime will help soften(loosen)the soil some. If you do top dress I would poke about 4-5 holes the size of a pencil gently near the stalk, top dress the entire surface and water very slowly(and every time)so the soil gets saturated really well... Know it's a pain, but, think you may need to transplant. Would add some extra perlite too...