Best Ways To Apply Lime

[whitetailwalleye]

Question here on pellet lime application. Doing my brassica plots this weekend, never had plots here before just cool season grasses. mowed and sprayed the grass a few weeks ago. Should I apply the lime, then till the ground? Or till, spread brassica seed, then lime on top, and cultipack? They are small plots 1 acre and less. Or any other best practices? Same question would also apply to the clover/rye plots I will be planting last weekend in August. Central MN for reference

 

[JBAGS]

Question here on pellet lime application. Doing my brassica plots this weekend, never had plots here before just cool season grasses. mowed and sprayed the grass a few weeks ago. Should I apply the lime, then till the ground? Or till, spread brassica seed, then lime on top, and cultipack? They are small plots 1 acre and less. Or any other best practices? Same question would also apply to the clover/rye plots I will be planting last weekend in August. Central MN for reference

I would spread your lime and fertilizer first, work the ground, cultipack, seed, cultipack again. Then pray for rain.

 

[Sligh1]

^^^
Pelletized lime is meant to dissolve & work quickly. Surface or incorporated will both work.
If you’re going to plant clovers later… could do lime now at same time as brassicas

 

[Bassattackr]

Yes, sooner is always better. Incorporation helps, but not necessary.

 

[whitetailwalleye]

I would spread your lime and fertilizer first, work the ground, cultipack, seed, cultipack again. Then pray for rain.

Cultipacking twice wont make the ground too firm? I guess in my head that’s what I was assuming.

 

[JBAGS]

Cultipacking twice wont make the ground too firm? I guess in my head that’s what I was assuming.

No. Typically if you disc up the ground, you want to break up the clumps and get a good seedbed set before you seed. Otherwise your seed will go too deep and have poor results.

 

[whitetailwalleye]

^^^
Pelletized lime is meant to dissolve & work quickly. Surface or incorporated will both work.
If you’re going to plant clovers later… could do lime now at same time as brassicas

^^^
Pelletized lime is meant to dissolve & work quickly. Surface or incorporated will both work.
If you’re going to plant clovers later… could do lime now at same time as brassicas

In this scenario, are you saying just surface application? The dead grass I sprayed is doing good job of keeping the weeds away right now, or should I till this too?

 

[Bassattackr]

I would spread your lime and fertilizer first, work the ground, cultipack, seed, cultipack again. Then pray for rain.

Perfect recipe. This is also my SOP..

 

[Butch973]

Perfect recipe. This is also my SOP..

I would add and then pray for more rain cause I usually time the first rain right but then the second one never seems to show up before the little sprouts burn up!‍

 

[Sligh1]

All mine are going in no till. With both regular old drill without coulters or a no till very very shallow with coulters. I always come back with bag spreader & seed & fill in bare spots if there is any.