Question about lime
 

I'm wondering whether I should be adding lime to my containers during the season. Does anyone do this? If so, how much should I add and how often? Is there a special kind of lime I should be using?

Thanks for any help!

Paula

Yes, I would recommend liming your container mix. I use ProMix for my containers, and for every 5 gal of mix, I add about a cup of granulated/slow release fert (whatever is on sale), and a cup of dolomitic lime.

I don't add anything else until after the first fruit set, after that, it's a handful of the dol lime and a handful of the slow release every couple of weeks. And I also occasionally foliar feed with seaweed emulsion for trace nutrients.

Also, be sure to mulch well, leaving some space around the stem.

It depends on the pH of your soil - I have alkaline clay & don't add lime.

Sorry - I'm referring to garden soil, not container mix.

[quote=jtcm05]The promix I use has lime already added.[/quote]

Agreed, but it's really not much -- just enough to pH balance the mix.

I've found that more needs to be added to keep BER to a minimum (in containers); just my personal experience.

It all depends on your water. I mix my own container soil using pine bark, peat, expanded shale (or perlite) and absolutely no lime. This is due to the abnormally high calcium and magnesium content in my water. Water quality is the main determining factor in how much lime, if any, should be added. The calcium and magnesium supplied by lime are more important than the pH, as pH will shift in container growing despite any attempts to control it. Dolomite lime is what you should use for container mixes.

Jason

Thanks so much for the responses. I'll definitely be adding some (if it ever stops raining).

I have never added lime and rarely have ber-when I have had ber, its my own fault because usually too much water. And when I do get it, its only the first couple of fruits.

I don't add lime either. I have 20 container and almost all have set alot of fruit. Only one plant , Kootenai had BER on the first 2 fruits set, all others fine.
I have had a little more BER in the past, but we haven't been over 95 this year, and I mixed liberal amounts of a product Tomato Tone in my containers this year. Don't know if it helped or not, but it certainly didn't hurt.

Jeanne

Jeanne-I use tomato tone in my containers of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and cucumbers. I mix 300 ccs in when I put the plant in. TT supposedly has all the macro and micro nutrients that you need.