limestone vs 13-13-13 or 10-10-10

[Usc529]

okay im about to plant some tomatos and i heard it was good to put down some limestone first i was wondering would it be the same if i just covered the area in 13-13-13 or 10-10-10 and didnt even bother with the limestone?

 

[seedcorn]

without soil test results, no way to get an accurate answer. limestone vs. fertilizer are two completely different subjects.

Fertilizers are good if you need them. I do spread some 19-19-19 before tilling. Too much will burn the plants. So if you are going to put some in bottom of hole, be careful.

Limestone for tomatoes are so that there is adequate calcium so that you don't get blossom rot on your tomatoes. It also raises the pH. If you have acidic soils, good thing to add.

 

[patandchickens]

What seedcorn said.

Limestone is 0-0-0. It has NO nitrogen or phosphorus or potassium; what it has is calcium (it is calcium carbonate).

If your soil is deficient in calcium, adding calcium is useful. However it is not going to do anything for a plant's N, P or K needs.

IME more cases of blossom-end rot (which is what people recommend calcium additions for, for tomatoes) are caused by uneven watering than by actual calcium deficiency as such, so personally in the absence of a soil test I would not go out of my way to add much if any calcium, what I'd devote my energy to is improving the soil's general tilth and fertility, preferably with reasonably-well-balanced compost. You can add additional fertilizer as the growing season progresses if your plants appear to be languishing.

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Usc529]

okay thanks does the limre have to be in the ground for a couple weeks before i plant the tomatoes?

 

[seedcorn]

As long as you add small amounts, it doesn't matter. Limestone breaks down over a long period of time.

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly unless you KNOW you have a pervasive Ca deficiency or pH issue in the soil, it probably makes more sense to just dust a bit of ground limestone (or crushed eggshells or whatever) into the hole you're transplanting your tomatoes into, stir it around a little to mix in, and then put the tomatoes in. If they need any (to avoid blossom end rot) they don't need MUCH. You can do that all as you plant, same as you might put a handful of bonemeal in the transplant hole when putting in a shrub or tree.

Soil test can be instructive, though...

Pat