Agriculture Lime

[Fred185]

I figured a lot of people here, know about ag-lime. I searched online for hours and found nothing on my search. I will start from the begining. I read the reason for decline in fish pond size is poor water PH. I am in Pennsylvania in gas drilling area. I had paid for water testing before any wells were drilled near me 18 years ago. The pond is 100% water shed and does fill to the max every spring. The pond water test was PH 6.0. (in 2008) Catching a half dozen 5-pound bass lasted the first 10 years. Now the biggest fish is short of 3-pounds. Recent water test this year PH -4. I read on Bass forum sites, must put ag-lime in the water in large amounts. 3-7 tons a acre. I could only find one place with trucking of ag lime 30 miles from me the rest were over a hundred miles. Placed order over a month ago for 20 tons at 70 dollars a ton (ENV 83%) no shipping charge. Got the lime today and a bill for trucking $1,400.00. I ask the driver for a scale ticket and the quarry contents of the lime. He said he only has the shipping price and can't tell me anything about the product except it came from a New York State quarry. I was trying to find out if there is any way I can "self test" the product I bought, to at very least prove it is ag-lime, and not something that will damage my pond fish. I was thinking to take a 5-gallon bucket, fill it with pond water and dump a cup of this product in it and see if the PH comes up. The Law in NY is written, any business that sells AG-Lime must provide the Quarry name, Quality of Product in like 10 catogories. It's my fault for dealing with this company. It would have cost another $600.00 but at least I would know what I bought. This is like a gas station with no readout on the pump. You go inside and pay the man based on what he said. I bought a lot of crushed stone, top soils, and always had a ticket from the quarry, with the quarry name, scale, truck empty, the truck gross weight, and the difference in writing.
Thanks in advance,
Happy Easter

 

[LHF2019]

The trucker was probably contracted out. Who did you place your order through? Any place I would get it from can readily provide me details on the lime. The company I buy from now send the specs with the bill and this lime comes from Lockport, NY. My other source for lime would come from Ohio. If you want it tested find your local USDA, Conservation, FSA office and they can get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[Fred185]

Yes, I seen testing runs about $125.00. Really, I was suspicious of this guys bussiness practices from the start. I prefer not to mention his name, because of a lot of unknows. Maybe I got what he said he sold me ? It is a large trucking operation with 50+ trucks around Binghamton NY. Can't understand why he held back the details under NYS Law on Ag-Lime requirements. The driver was the owners son, and informed me of everything else they sell that I might need. Did learn something last night online ! Cover the lime and protect from weather to keep the fine particles from washing out. I will post a picture, of a small pile of product compared to flour. Seems like partcile size is key to quality.
Thanks for your input.

 

[Hay Dude]

Did you try Martins Lime? Not sure where you are in PA, guessing "upstate"?

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not sure how Ph, and Ag Lime will increase the size of your fish. How clear is your water? Do you have healthy plants growing in your pond?

The size of bass is based on the size of the food it eats. For a bass to grow, it needs larger feeder fish. If all your feeder fish are small, you're bass will be small. This is what causes a stunted pond. When there are too many fish, they all compete for the same feed, and their ability to grow becomes impossible.

The only way to get bigger bass is to remove smaller bass. Then the feeder fish can grow bigger, and the remaining bass will grow bigger. Rule of thumb is 100 total pounds of predator fish per surface acre of water. My 4 1/2 acre pond should only have 450 total pounds of predator fish. In my case, that's catfish and bass combined.

When we fish, we remove everything we catch. Most are in the one pound range, and on a good day, we might catch 30 fish. The more we do this, the bigger our best fish has become. Currently the pond record for a large mouth bass is 7 1/2 pounds. Five pound bass are caught every year.

 

[Fred185]

Did you try Martins Lime? Not sure where you are in PA, guessing "upstate"?

220 miles away.
Thanks

 

[Fred185]

I'm not sure how Ph, and Ag Lime will increase the size of your fish. How clear is your water? Do you have healthy plants growing in your pond?

The size of bass is based on the size of the food it eats. For a bass to grow, it needs larger feeder fish. If all your feeder fish are small, you're bass will be small. This is what causes a stunted pond. When there are too many fish, they all compete for the same feed, and their ability to grow becomes impossible.

The only way to get bigger bass is to remove smaller bass. Then the feeder fish can grow bigger, and the remaining bass will grow bigger. Rule of thumb is 100 total pounds of predator fish per surface acre of water. My 4 1/2 acre pond should only have 450 total pounds of predator fish. In my case, that's catfish and bass combined.

When we fish, we remove everything we catch. Most are in the one pound range, and on a good day, we might catch 30 fish. The more we do this, the bigger our best fish has become. Currently the pond record for a large mouth bass is 7 1/2 pounds. Five pound bass are caught every year.

A Google Answer, but many websites and video on Youtube. Unfortunatly my pond gets filled with only acid rain EPA map area of PH=4. A fish not hatched but stocked in water with a PH of 4 will die.
"Adding ag lime (agricultural lime) to a pond helps increase fish size by improving water quality, particularly by stabilizing pH and increasing alkalinity, which reduces stress on fish and enhances food availability. By buffering pH fluctuations, lime allows fish to conserve energy that would otherwise be used to regulate their internal environment, leading to healthier growth. Additionally, lime improves nutrient availability for phytoplankton, which are a food source for fish, further contributing to their growth.

 

[Fred185]

I figured a lot of people here, know about ag-lime. I searched online for hours and found nothing on my search. I will start from the begining. I read the reason for decline in fish pond size is poor water PH. I am in Pennsylvania in gas drilling area. I had paid for water testing before any wells were drilled near me 18 years ago. The pond is 100% water shed and does fill to the max every spring. The pond water test was PH 6.0. (in 2008) Catching a half dozen 5-pound bass lasted the first 10 years. Now the biggest fish is short of 3-pounds. Recent water test this year PH -4. I read on Bass forum sites, must put ag-lime in the water in large amounts. 3-7 tons a acre. I could only find one place with trucking of ag lime 30 miles from me the rest were over a hundred miles. Placed order over a month ago for 20 tons at 70 dollars a ton (ENV 83%) no shipping charge. Got the lime today and a bill for trucking $1,400.00. I ask the driver for a scale ticket and the quarry contents of the lime. He said he only has the shipping price and can't tell me anything about the product except it came from a New York State quarry. I was trying to find out if there is any way I can "self test" the product I bought, to at very least prove it is ag-lime, and not something that will damage my pond fish. I was thinking to take a 5-gallon bucket, fill it with pond water and dump a cup of this product in it and see if the PH comes up. The Law in NY is written, any business that sells AG-Lime must provide the Quarry name, Quality of Product in like 10 catogories. It's my fault for dealing with this company. It would have cost another $600.00 but at least I would know what I bought. This is like a gas station with no readout on the pump. You go inside and pay the man based on what he said. I bought a lot of crushed stone, top soils, and always had a ticket from the quarry, with the quarry name, scale, truck empty, the truck gross weight, and the difference in writing.
Thanks in advance,
Happy Easter

After adding 8 ounces and stiring (5 gallon bucket ) water very little change on test strips to PH of 4. Adding a second 8 ounces made test strip all in the green zone of very good PH=7. At least I think its lime and not stone dust from cutting stone. I bought stone dust and still have a pile of it. They almost look the same but stone dust might be finer. The pics are of the ag-lime and general purpose baking flour.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm familiar with adding Gypsum to a pond to clear up the water from acidic soil. The positive electrical charge created by the soil will suspend the soil in the water. Neutralizing that positive charge with Gypsum will allow the soil to settle to the bottom and clear up the water. This allows plants to grow in the pond at deeper depths.

I've never heard of this having any impact on the size of your predator fish.

I use Ag Lime in my chicken coops to clean up my nesting boxes.

 

[Hay Dude]

Get some in your eye and you'll know if it's lime
Happened to me Ouch