Time to Lime
Late summer and early fall are prime times to apply lime to your pastures and hay meadows, but this year we did not receive a lot of rainfall in the fall and winter. If you have soil with low pH then I would consider getting some lime on those fields soon. There are many factors that can affect the length of time it takes for lime to go to work, but typically it takes up to 6 months for lime to become active in the soil. Some of those factors include rainfall, if it is dry then there is nothing to dissolve the lime. Rainfall is of course a huge factor in getting that lime into the soil. The type of lime used will also play a major role in its absorption into the soil. Materials with a high calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) will raise the pH much faster than those with low CCE’s. The coarseness of the material will also influence length of time it takes for your lime to start working, the finer the material, the quicker it is going to go to work.
How do you know when you need to lime? The only way to know for sure if you need to spend money on lime is to get a soil test. So, before spending any money, this would be your very first step. Your soil test will provide a pH for the soil in your sample. Typically, for bermudagrass pastures and hay meadows you will want to raise your soil pH to 5.5 or above. If your soil test shows a 5.5 pH, then do not worry about lime and use your money for other nutrients. For crop land lime application is just as important, but the desired pH will be different depending on your crop.
This is also an ideal time of the year to start raising those low potash and phosphorus levels in your fields. Many of the fields with thinning stands have low potassium (K) fertility. Depending on your soil potassium may need to be added at the same rate as nitrogen for maximum production and healthy stands. Potassium deficiencies will result in poor stress tolerance, poor disease resistance and lower rhizome or stolon production. Fields with low K levels may have issues with fungus and other diseases, but the disease is probably only a symptom of the low K levels. Phosphorus is another vital nutrient that takes a long time to move into the soil profile, like lime it moves veryslowly. Phosphorusis vital to root health, it does not leach through the soil like nitrogen, so winter application is best.
I cannot stress the importance of using a soil test to determine what you need to get the forage production you will want next summer. For $12.00 and just a little time, you will know exactly what you need and you will not be playing an expensive guessing game. Come by the office and we can loan you a probe and get you the correct forms to pull your own samples.
Crop Program
Do not forget the upcoming crop program. This year’s Crop Program will focus on one of the major crops in the county and area, corn for silage. This crop program is packed with excellent information and lots of CEU’s. The program will be held Thursday, February 26th at the Comanche Community Center, 101 Indian Creek Drive. Registration will begin at 8:30 and the program will run from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. We will be offering 5 total CEU’s, 2 L&R’s and 3 IPM. We will also be providing Auxin Training for those that might need it. There is a $50.00 fee for all participants and lunch will be provided.
If you have questions, please give us a call here at the Comanche County Agents office: 325-3562539.