What's your lime of choice?  Pellitized , granular , powdered ? Is one type better than another or a combination ? Is there one that shouldn't be used?
Appreciate any help or links for info.

My hubby bought pellitized lime and I was wondering if it's ok to use.

Typically granular.  Pelletized and powder are fast release.  You could use just a little frequently.  Granular releases slowly so you add some and it lasts a long time.

Thanks Bob. I had been getting granular , but he came home with the pelletized. I didn't know if there was a down side to pelletized.  I'll use it then as you say . Thanks again...

How much granular lime to you top dress container figs with?

I agree with BOB. Granular is the way to go. Slow release and lasts longer. The pelletized dissolves instantly when watered. It is easier to apply to the veggie garden than the powdered stuff, but is pretty much the same.

I was told and have read to use 1/2"-1" of the granular. I have put pine bark over top of the granular in my pots also to cut down on the twice a day watering in the heat of summer.

I make sure to scrape off any old lime left over from last season - again what I was told and have read.

Granular Limestone is slower to break down, and will last through the season.  If your soil is loaded with acid, use Powdered Limestone to correct the pH, then switch to granular for the rest of the season.

Figs hate acidic soils and the quality of growth will suffer in acidic soils, and, so will the figs.

Good luck and happy growing.

Frank

1/2 to 1 inch of granular limestone on he entire top of the container?

Patti, ... Granular was the recommended (by Belleclaire) for that application. Pelletized is powdered with a water soluble binding agent.

IWannaFig, ... If You do a search you will find lots of discussions on Belleclaire nursery (including the Marta Stewart Video) and their fig growing instructions .

The granular limestone is basically a limestone sand on top of the potting mix. The only place that the limestone is actively breaking down is at the point of contact between the limestone and the potting mix. The owners of Belleclaire probably came to their conclusion of using the limestone after observing fig trees growing in their natural environment. Think of the Granular Limestone like slow release fertilizer.

<edit> An additional benefit is it will probably help to keep down the fungus gnat population. : )

Prilled (pelletized) limestone is actually powdered limestone mixed with a binder and water, then shot from a prilling tower. It dries and hardens as it falls from the tower, making it easier to to use effectively in both broadcast and drop type fertilizer spreaders. Essentially there is no difference in the release rated between prilled and powdered product because once you water, the binder dissolves and the particles are about the same size. True granular limestone that won't pass a 10 mesh screen (2 mm or .08" and larger) should be considered to have no liming value in container media because of it's minimal surface area (which significantly reduces dissolution rate).

Grown in the ground, F carica prefers a pH of around 6.0-6.5. In containers, a pH of 5.0-5.5 would be more appropriate.

Al 

Thanks, I've been using 5:1:1 mix slightly modified I add the lime in when I mix it up. Should I add more to the top every season? I'm using the granuals.

Edit: looks like I can use as much lime as I want without any problems. I'm going to trow some on top today. Thanks again for all the info and the links to belleclaire.

Also thanks Al for all info you have put on the web.

Thanks everyone . This is the best place for questions to be asked and getting answers and information immediately !
Tapla - Al , I appreciate your posting an explanation also.

Pete, there are a few nurserymen out there recommending a top dressing of lime as I go around Long Island collecting a few different varieties . I'm sorry I did not start with figs earlier knowing about the BC nursery now.
I guess the BC growing guide was where I read about the 1/2"-1" levels.

Today I fertilize , top dress with lime and then pine bark on top and water .  :-)

Al, can you explain your pH recommendations further?  Why more acid in a pot and why so different than what Belleclare recommends?  Thanks.

I'm going to bump this because I'm curious about Al's ph recommendations.

Cue: "Dragnet" theme song.  

Al exploded another commonly held belief about Granular Limestone! 

(SEE POST # 11)  re: Granular Limestone  ...."no liming value in container media because of its minimal surface area"...  I've been using it for years.  I thought the granular version worked more effectively.  I was wrong.  Now, I know there are more effective ways to correct soil pH.  But, how much is enough? 

Good thread.  This is helpful information being discussed.  I want/need to know this.


Frank

I think Al Tapla's comment actually reinforces the Belleclaire practice. By using Granular Limestone, they increased the Calcium and Magnesium available to the trees without increasing the PH dramatically. The granular limestone is broken down by contact with soil microbes, this is only occurring at the point of contact between soil and Limestone topping.

Note: I do not use the topping method, but I do apply 1/2 cup per month on the top of my 5 gallon containers.

Thanks Pete, for the clarification. 


Frank

This is another question I have been wondering about, great post :o)

Pattee, From your posts, it appears you are growing in pots using a pine or fir bark based media. Unfortunately, the use of different limestones to control pH turns out to be a complex subject. You do not say if your material is calcitic or dolomitic limestone. Here is a link to an article that gives a detailed look at variations among different limestones.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00103620701435530#.UYtUZM1pvBI
Because of the significant variation observed in different limestone sources, you are left with either picking an amount to add to your media and hoping for the best or setting-up a series of small pots to test various concentrations of the limestone you want to use in the media you want to use. Although the testing takes several weeks for the media pH to equilibrate, it is easy to do. An article that will help you do that is here:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/floriculture/hils/HIL590.pdf 
You will notice in Figure 2 of this paper that there is a wide range of pH optimums from plant to plant in their list. You may also note that some have broader ranges while others have narrower optimum ranges. I have done a lot of looking and I can find no clear study defining an optimal pH range for fig trees. My impression is that fig trees are tolerant of a pretty wide pH range. I have seen publications studying productive fig orchards growing in pH 8 soil.

The notion that there is a 1 pH unit difference between fig trees or other plants grown in the ground versus in pots is incorrect. As far as I can tell, this notion originates from a paper published by Lucas & Davis in 1961 in the journal Soil Science. In that paper, they demonstrated that the ideal pH ranges for the mineral soil they used versus wood-sedge soil and sphagnum peat soil was about 1 pH unit different. As science progressed, it was realized that pH difference observed was driven by CEC, nutrient and micro-nutrient differences between the mineral soil and the other two, but NOT due to some inherent difference in a plant grown in a pot versus the ground. It is amazing to me that this notion is still put forward by anyone.

If you really want to understand pH management, I highly recommend this book:
http://store.meistermedia.com/understanding-ph-management/ 
It will be $20 well spent. If you prefer free stuff, the Horticultural Departments at the University of Florida and North Carolina State University have excellent web sites with tons of high quality, dependable information.

Good luck with your trees!

Maybe I missed this answer, but is lime being placed on the the freshly potted cuttings or only on established figs?

Thanks so much DWD2 for those links !