Milk. It Does the Body Good. That’s one of the great advertising slogans from the 80s, and like all slogans, it boils down truth to a memorable phrase. The truth is that the calcium in milk strengthens new-forming cells in our body. The same goes for plants. Calcium is essential for strong cell growth in animals and plants.
Lime needs a jazzy slogan. Maybe Hale, a former intern who now works for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, nailed the needed slogan. He sent a video from an airconditioned John Deere. Behind him trailed a cloud of dust, a horizon of pine trees, and a giant aluminum hopper as Hale powered across an uncut field of hay. He sent two simple words -- Lime Again.
These two words referred to his having done the same thing over my lily fields spring a year ago. But they’re now my prompt to remember to add needed calcium.
Lime Again.
Do it. If you are planting tomatoes or flowers, add a bit of lime. Try half a cup per tomato, dig it into the soil. If you are in the South, don’t worry about over liming, you’d have to work really hard to do so (my normal pH is about 4.8).
Don’t fall for the myths that some plants love acid. True that garden azaleas and camellias tolerate low pH (low lime), but they and all garden plants need calcium in lime to form strong leaves, stems, and fruit skins.
Hale has a sexy Georgia accent — country boy but refined by a few years at Sewanee. I once heard someone say farm boys from Georgia, including Jimmy Carter, talk like they have their mouths full of marbles. Hmm. If I had thought I could achieve that accent, I’d be eating marbles right now. No need for more written words from me. Listen to Hale talk about liming our lilies and why it’s time for me to lime again.
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