Anyone use a small push type spreader for lime? I have been spreading it by hand with a bucket but I don’t get consistent coverage and the area is starting to be to big. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something I will use only once per year but the cheap push spreaders seem to have poor reviews when using lime.
Could you rent a good spreader?
1 Like
There’s a handy little “whirligig” spreader that is designed for fertilizers- I don’t know what it’s called but it holds about 1/2 gallon dry granules and you walk around the area turning the little crank and refilling it- we use ours primarily for salting the sidewalks. Covers a lot of territory pretty quickly. There’s a push variety too, holds more and is operated by the turning of the wheels as you push. Looks (and works) a lot like a kid’s toy, so you can have fun while you work!
:-)M
1 Like
Like for a 3 point hitch? I could borrow one but that is a little big for my needs and getting one and setting it up would be more work than putting it out by hand for my needs.[quote=“marknmt, post:3, topic:7731”]
There’s a push variety too, holds more and is operated by the turning of the wheels as you push
[/quote]
This is what I am looking for but don’t know how well they will do for lime.
I use a Scott 3000 drop spreader to add lime to my lawn, does a pretty nice job of spreading the lime (or any granular fertilizer) evenly
1 Like
Out here in the western U.S., there are folks who read posts from the east coast and add lime to their soils without first taking a soil test … and destroy their plants! I expect there are also folks in the east who come across western gardening posts and destroy their plants with additional acid. Sigh.
As for a spreader, I despise them. Instead I first provide a reasonable texture for the plants to grow in and then provide nutrients and pH amendments through fertigation.
1 Like
Pelletized lime can be spread with hand, push, or pull spreaders. Garden lime doesn’t spread evenly (if at all) out of the same spreaders. You need a spreader designed just for garden lime application.
I’ve always found it’s worth the added expense of pelletized lime for the convenience of getting it spread.
1 Like
I use a $50 Scott drop spreader too! I put out 1500 pounds of powered limestone on an acre of apples a few weeks ago. It works great but its a lot of work. Its small enough to get between the trees and next to the trees and I don’t waste a lot of lime in the middle of the tractor rows where its not needed.
I have also used a 3 PT hitch spin type spreader on the tractor to spread pelleted lime,but its about 3X as expensive as the powered lime and about 1/3 of the lime went to the wrong location. The spin type spreader will not spread powered lime, only pellet lime.
1 Like
I don’t think the drop spreader will work well for me because most of my trees are mulched. We get 18 wheeler loads of powered lime delivered to our fields so I have access to free lime, it just sounds like the spin type spreaders won’t work. In the past I have gotten the big spreader truck to back up to my trees in three different places to cover the bulk of the area and hand spread the rest. I guess I will just do that again this year.
1 Like
Wish I could get the spreader truck down my rows! I should have used the spreader truck put the lime out extra heavy before I planted my trees and now I’m stuck.
No easy way to get the lime down the rows which are only 12 feet apart.