So the dolomite lime everyone recommends on this forum, is just crushed stone, it is not cooked, correct? The same applies to calcitic lime, it is just mined, crushed, and dusted on soil? Correct. Quickened or hydrated (no matter what it's source, whether dolomitic or not) can burn as they don't oxidize/ionize slowly in the soil. They react quickly as they are 'prepared' artificially for quick chemical reaction. Just stay away from quick and hydrated unless you are using them for a specific purpose well ahead of planting time. Look at the analysis of the package you are considering buying. It should list ca and mg percentage. I have read others (Al, et al) suggest a 2:1 ratio of ca to mg. Whether you have dolomitic or not is not so critical as what it contains. Its just that dolomitic naturally has higher mg than other lime sources. Aim for 2:1. If you can't find lime with that high of mg, consider using mg sulfate (epsom salt) in conjunction if you are aiming for the suggested levels/ratios. But if it doesn't have the ~30-40% of a typical dolomite, not a big deal IMO. Hydrated lime is just cooked lime that has been watered, right?That could cause confusion depending on how you are viewing it. It is not a slurry "watered" product. It is still a dry powder that gets all over the place just like the non-hydrated limes.

This has been covered more times than I can count; but, when a low soil pH is desired, or when making the gritty mix, there is benefit in using CaSO4 as a Ca source in lieu of (Ca/Mg)CO3 because the CaSO4 doesn't raise pH. Whenever you do chose to use CaSO4 instead of Ca/MgCO3 as your Ca source, you need a Mg source and MgSO4 fills the bill very nicely. Al

So I typed up a very long reply to you but of course my computer crashed before I could send it! I will try and sum it all up. First, thank you for the link. I actually found another post by the author discussing dolomitic lime and verifying what I learned. Here it is: RE: Fertilizer Program for Containerized Plants II clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings � Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on Wed, May 27, 09 at 23:26 Well, you would think that because garden lime (dolomitic lime) has a solubility of about 1/3 oz/100 oz of water and is comprised of both CaCO3 and MgCO3 (calcium and magnesium carbonate) that they should become available in the same ratio as the dolomite dissolves. The fact of the matter is that the CaCO3 fraction of the lime has a solubility of about .0015, while the MgCO3 fraction is soluble at a rate of about .175, or roughly about 125X more soluble than the Ca fraction. With dolomite being about 20% Ca and 10% Mg, you would also think that they would be released in about a 2:1 ratio, but what actually occurs is: at first, during the first few months, the release rate is about 1:1 or a little greater, then slowly shifting to around a 2:1 release at some point in the soil/planting's life, and then after 9 months to a year to 2:.05 or even less. This issue can be very acute for plants grown in the same soil for more than a single growth cycle. Al I couldn't figure out an easier way to insert this other than cut and paste. Is there another way? How does one message the author as I would like to ask some questions directly? As I stated I grow using organic amendments and am trying to replicate the outdoor environment in a container. I do understand there are many soluble cal/mag fertilizers available but I don't like to use synthetics (personal preference). Anyhow the reason I was suggesting adding more calcium carbonate to dolomitic lime was to increase the cal/mag ratio. This was directly due to the fact of the magnesium being more soluble (in the soil solution as you asked). Also due to the role calcium plays in buffering the pH of a soil. This is where the CEC and base saturation rate come into play. Now dolomitic lime can certainly be used and I'm not trying to say there is anything wrong with it, just suggesting this as another way. Greentiger suggested that the high CEC of container media would handle the buffering capacity but it is my understanding that calcium is the key cation in this situation. Therefore having more of it in the soil would be beneficial (within reason). Even if one is not trying to hit a certain base saturation rate it seems that it is suggested to have more calcium than magnesium and more magnesium than potassium in soil (please correct me if I am wrong). Now here is where I once again get confused! I see in many plant tissue analyses that potassium is present in a much higher rate than calcium. Probably why potassium is considered a primary and calcium a secondary nutrient. So why is it that much more calcium is suggested to be in soil? Is this because of the role it plays in buffering the pH? Or do the molecular weights have something to do with this difference? Or am I misunderstanding this all? I'm not trying to challenge the tried and true just simply trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks

Aside from the small bag and ridiculous price, this Espoma Garden Lime product is "pelletized" and might be a better fit for container gardening than a quick acting lime? I cannot tell if it is dolomitic lime or not.