Pelletized Vs. Pulverized Lime

Lawns thrive with soil that has a pH level of 7, which is the neutral ground between acidic soil and a strong base. pH levels range from 0-14, where 0 is a very strong acid and 14 is a very strong base. Soil acidity varies from year to year. Growing plants soak up nutrients from the soil, which over time increases the acidity level of the soil, thus making for unhealthy plant growth and poor growing results. Lime is the key ingredient for balancing the pH level in soil. Lime works as a base that helps raise the pH level in the soil from acidic to neutral. There are three main types of lime sold in stores, of which are pulverized, granular, and pelletized. This article will look at the main differences between pelletized and pulverized lime by giving the advantages and disadvantages of each.

When should you use lawn on your lawn?

A rule of thumb for gardeners is to never use lime when you are using fertilizer as it has negative effects that do not help with plant growth. Liming should always be done a few months before applying fertilizer. Once you apply the lime, your soil pH level should remain stable during the summer months.

Pelletized Lime

Pelletized lime is actually what it sounds like, pellet form of lime. The pellets are tightly bound units of pulverized lime that come in pellet form for easy spreader application. Pelletized lime must be applied immediately after a rainy period (next day) as it needs moisture to absorb into the soil, and if applied before a rainy period, will wash away.

Advantages of Pelletized Lime

• Ease to spread- Pelletized lime comes in convenient pellets that make it very easy to spread with a simple lawn spreader. Depending on the size of pellets, you will want to make sure you cover enough surfaces depending on your soils pH level. If you have a low pH level of 4, for example, you will want to spread more lime down than if you have a pH level of 6. Make sure to do a soil test before application, as the amount you must spread will vary greatly depending on acidity of the soil.

• Less mess- The main disadvantage with pulverized lime stone is that it is in powder form. The powder gets all over clothing during application, and carrying the bag from the store to your car will leave residue on clothing and car.

Disadvantages of Pelletized Lime

• Longer reaction time- Pelletized lime needs moisture in order to break down, and this process is much longer with pellet form than with powder. The reaction time will vary depending on how moist the soil is, but if you want instant results than the pulverized variety is the best bet.

• Chance of washout- My biggest complaint from customers is that pelletized lime has the ability to washout of the lawn if there is a rainy period after application. Pellets that are not dissolved will run off, which means you must reapply the lime.

Pulverized Lime

Pulverized lime is a powdered form of the pelletized lime, which allows for faster absorption, but harder application.

Advantages of Pulverized Lime

• Faster reaction time- The faster reaction of pulverized lime makes it superior for near instant results. Less moisture is needed to break pulverized lime than pelletized, which makes results happen quicker.

• Less chance of washout- Since the time of application to results is much shorter than with pelletized lime, you have a reduced chance of any lime washout. Lime washout makes it so that you must reapply the product, which is time consuming and costly.

Disadvantages of Pulverized Lime

• Application- Pulverized lime, unless you have the use of a special spreader, must be applied by hand. From firsthand experience, spreading lime by hand is a time consuming messy task. The lime residue gets all over clothing and any exposed skin areas.

• Messy- As mentioned above pulverized lime is messy during application, but it is also very messy from point of sale to your house. The fine powder gets on clothing, and will also will leave fine powder in your vehicle.

The best choice for lime will depend on your method of application, if you have a special spreader for pulverized, and have experience with it, then I recommend pulverized. However, if you have a simple garden spreader and do not want a mess, than the pelletized lime is the right product for you.

Sources:

Personal experience working as a garden supervisor for ACE Hardware and from taking agriculture classes in my undergraduate studies.