The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: ewesaidit on August 29, 2011, 10:43:21 pm
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Hi
saw an ad in the Scottish Farmer recently for something which I think was called Calcifert (?) - dont have it to hand does anyone have any experience of using this? I understand it is calcified lime in small pellet form and you can buy it in 25kg bags
I have a small acreage which is used for sheep - looks like it needs greening up a bit/a fair amount of poorer quality/browning grass - would this help? can you graze when its been applied or is there a wait time
any comments welcome, thanks
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First I would take a soil test or get one done. I cheated when we moved here because there was so much to do and paid someone to do ours. I was amazed at how many samples from one field they put together and for us it was well worth the £18.00 we paid just to see how the professionals tested. It sounds very much as though your land would benefit from some lime though.
The specialist limers turn up with huge machines and can do a lot of damage. They aren't really set up for small acreages. The contractor who helps us with bigger jobs here won't have them on his own land and so spreads pelleted lime and has advised us to do the same. The 25 kg bags aren't easy to come by and are relatively expensive but handling the large bags isn't easy. It can be spread with an ordinary fertiliser spreader. But it is a job well worth doing if the land is acid.
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Calcified sea weed is a similar product but is usually crushed limestone ( sugar size grains ) mixed with powdered sea weed , it is like giving your plants steriods .
A dressing of the veg area makes thing grow well and seemed to improve the flavours .. I suppose it is to do with all the trace elements being added into the soil and the limestone actually helping the soil give up the trace elements in the soil.
it is very good for acid soil .
Crushed powdered basic slag is also a good trace element source usually blast furnace stuff but as it is similar to the ash from a volcanoe I'm sure you will readily see the connection of inreased nutrients for the garden.. it tends to hand around in the ground as well rather than getting washed out of light soils.