Are certain spots in your fields starting to become less productive? Wondering if your farm’s soil could benefit from liming? Liming agents are among the most commonly used soil inputs across the Canadian prairies, helping balance soil pH and support higher-yielding seasons.
Below, let’s dive into the most common types of lime used across the prairies, and when each one makes sense. Other liming options, such as wood ash, may also be used, but can vary in quality and may contain contaminants.
What’s is Lime?
Before getting into the different kinds of limes, it’s important to answer one key question: why is lime such a crucial part of some soil management programs?
In its most basic sense, lime is any soil amendment used to raise the pH of acidic soils (pH below 7). It introduces calcium into the soil, neutralizing acidic hydrogen ions and increasing nutrient availability for crop uptake. Once soil testing confirms that your soil may benefit from liming, the right liming product can deliver meaningful, measurable improvements in soil and crop performance. Beyond maintaining a balanced pH, liming agents also support microbial activity and enhance soil structure, including aggregation and aeration.
Agricultural Lime
When most farmers think of lime, agricultural lime is typically what comes to mind first. Agricultural lime is one of the most common lime agents used across the prairies, thanks to its more gradual reaction in the soil. Ag lime is calcium carbonate, usually mined from limestone deposits and ground into a fine powder. Calcium carbonate reacts gradually with soil moisture, making it a popular choice for long-term pH management.
Dolomitic Lime
While calcium is often the standout factor of liming agents, dolomitic lime brings another key component. Dolomitic lime comes from dolomite rock and is different from agricultural lime due to its presence of magnesium. For fields that test low in both calcium and magnesium, dolomitic lime may correct both deficiencies with a single solution. Magnesium content plays a key role in chlorophyll production and enzyme activation, supporting plant function during the growing season.
Norstar Agriculture’s Nor-Cal Dolo product offers a targeted solution for magnesium and calcium deficiencies, with 21.67% calcium, 11% magnesium, along with smaller amounts of sulphur, nitrogen, and other trace nutrients.
Beet Lime
As the name suggests, beet lime (sometimes called spent lime) is a byproduct of the sugar beet industry. After sugar beets are processed and heated, calcium carbonate is added to purify the beet juice and remove impurities, resulting in beet lime. Similar to agricultural lime, beet lime offers a slower reaction time, making it ideal for situations where you don’t want to ‘shock’ the ecosystem of the soil. Some beet lime products may also contain trace amounts of organic material from the refining process, which can provide a minor boost to soil biology.
Cement Kiln Dust (CKD)
While many limes come from the ground, others come straight from the kiln. Cement kiln dust (CKD) is a byproduct of the cement industry, formed when limestone, clay, and other materials are heated to extremely high temperatures. The result is a fine, highly reactive powder that’s rich in calcium oxide and adjusts soil pH faster than traditional agricultural lime.
CKD contains calcium oxide, also known as quicklime, which reacts more rapidly than calcium carbonate sources to adjust soil pH. It’s also often less costly than some other liming agents and can last in the soil for up to 10 years, making it a highly efficient liming solution.
Know Your Soil Before You Lime
Productive growing seasons start at the root, or rather, in the soil. That’s where we come in. Norstar Agriculture is your team of local travelling agronomists, supporting farmers with soil consultancy throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Get in touch with us today to book your appointment with our team, and get one step closer to soil fertility that pays off year after year.
