Discover the many uses of limestone, including improving the performance of fertilizers, helping gardens, eliminating odors, whitening teeth, constructing roads, and more!

1. More Than Just
Fertilizer: The
Many Uses of
Limestone
By Baker Lime

3. The Many Uses of Limestone
 Whether it’s in huge blocks or pulverized,
limestone has a wide and varied set of uses. It
helps us grow food, build buildings, and even
keep our teeth clean.
 While our primary interest is in limestone and
fertilizer, it adds depth to our understanding to
consider the many uses of the sedimentary
rock. Considering what limestone is used for
will give you the context in which to consider
its use for your home or business.

4. Ag Lime
 Agricultural Lime (Ag Lime) responds to a particular
challenge faced by farmers. As you grow over the years, in
most cases your soil will become more acidic. This is due to
erosion, leaching, the decomposition of organic matter,
and a variety of other factors. Soil that becomes too acidic
can have an extremely detrimental effect on crop yields
and, thus, on your bottom line.
 Luckily the solution to the gradual increase in soil acidity is
rather simple. Ag Lime is proven to be a simple and cost-
effective way to counter the harsh conditions created by
rising acidity. Applications of Ag Lime are a reliable way to
keep your soil healthy and high-yielding.

5. Limestone and Fertilizer: How It
Works
 Ag Lime is a soil conditioner. It is made from crushed limestone that
is sometimes deployed in pellet form. The pellets allow it to be
spread evenly with minimal dust, yet they break down into a finely
pulverized texture when it is activated with water. Once activated,
Ag Lime dissolves and releases a base into a soil, thereby lowering
its acidity.
 Ag Lime’s chemical properties allow crops to flourish in less-than-
ideal acidity conditions. It can boost the profit potential of a farm
significantly, while also making fertilizer up to 50 percent more
efficient.
 According to the International Plant Nutrition Institute, North
American farmers tend to underuse Ag Lime. They typically use less
than one third of the amount they need to create ideal soil
conditions. Without educating themselves on the true benefits of
Ag Lime, farmers may continue to expose their crops unnecessarily
to overly acidic conditions.

6. Key Benefits of Ag Lime
 Ag Lime has a number of particular benefits for farmers.
Better education about these benefits should help the
North American farming community increase their use of
Ag Lime and better cope with the acidity in their soil.
 The various benefits of Ag Lime application include:
 Improving the intake of nutrients by plants growing in the soil
 Making some herbicides more effective
 Supplying key minerals to crops, including calcium and
magnesium
 Placing the physical, biological, and chemical properties of soil
in better balance
 Taking toxicities out of the soil
 Helping with nitrogen fixation by legumes

7. Uses for Limestone: How It
Works
 How does applying Ag Lime to your soil achieve these benefits? It’s largely a
matter of chemistry. As Ag Lime brings soil pH values from acidic toward
neutral, it bolsters the efforts of organisms that tend to break down crop
residue, thereby improving the structure of the soil. It also tends to limit the
amount that nutrients leach away from crops and improve the way plants
retain water. All these effects are beneficial to your plants.
 Legumes rely on bacteria living on their roots to convert nitrogen in the
atmosphere into a form that can be absorbed and used by the plant. Ag
Lime promotes this action, allowing these bacteria to flourish and thereby
allowing legumes maximum nitrogen fixation.
 Soil at proper pH levels tends to foster stronger root systems. Plants growing in
neutral soil typically put down more extensive root systems that are more
finely divided. This allows them to absorb nutrients more efficiently. This effect
is further bolstered because Ag Lime alters some nutrients like phosphorus and
sulfur into a more plant-friendly form. Soil pH in the range of 5.8 through 7.0
(close to neutral) tends to maximize the availability of a host of valuable
nutrients.

8. Ag Lime Helps You Grow
 Ag Lime prevents a number of nutrients from becoming toxic. In
soils with pH levels below 5.6, aluminum, manganese, and iron
toxicities may become a significant problem. With Ag Lime keeping
pH levels above 5.6, plants are also saved from toxicities related to
calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
 Ag Lime enhances the performance of a number of herbicides and
nematicides. Herbicides are typically most effective in conditions
with neutral soil pH, so using Ag Lime will help your herbicides work
faster, better and longer. It will also promote the breakdown of
certain herbicides, which will avoid damaging rotational crops.
 Applying Ag Lime will also directly inject valuable minerals into the
soil. Ag Lime adds calcium to the soil while Dolomitic Limestone
adds calcium and magnesium. Dolomitic Lime is particularly
effective at addressing magnesium deficiencies, a persistent
difficulty in acidic soil conditions.

9. Sugar Beet Lime
 The Ag Lime that helps farmers across North America does
not always come from a mine. Spent lime is a by-product of
the beet sugar purification process and is very effective at
creating neutral soil conditions. As sugar beets are
processed, calcium carbonate limestone is added to help
remove impurities. Once removed from the resulting pure
juice, it forms a solid lime product that is no longer needed
by the sugar beet processor.
 Spreading lime from the processing of sugar beets on
agricultural soil is a way to re-use a discarded material that
would otherwise be wasted. Finding previously-used
sources of lime is a way to reduce our environmental
footprint while maintaining the soil conditions necessary for
optimal agricultural production.

10. The Bottom Lime
 Studies show that applying Ag Lime consistently provides a
significant return on investment for farmers. The particular
amount you should use is determined by your climate and
soil conditions, as well as the crops you’re planting and
how your rotation works. Sending a soil sample to a
laboratory will help you determine exactly how much Ag
Lime is needed to create the ideal conditions for your
crops.
 Oftentimes, lab reports on soil conditions will contain a
recommendation on exactly how much Ag Lime should be
applied to make your soil more neutral. In general, though,
North American farmers tend to underuse Ag Lime and
plant in overly acidic soil. Limestone can provide
substantively improved conditions and improve both the
quality and yield of your crops.

11. The Benefits of Limestone for
Gardens
 Both Ag Lime and Dolomitic Lime can provide similar benefits to gardeners as
they do to farmers. Ag Lime is made, essentially, from pulverized limestone.
Dolomitic Lime is made from dolomite. It contains similar high levels of
calcium, while also containing magnesium. Both can be effective for
improving garden soil and provide a compelling case for the use of limestone
for gardens.
 The principles of lime application for garden use are the same as for use in
farming. A wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants find their
optimal conditions in pH levels above 5.5. Below that, key nutrients become
unavailable for absorption into plants, even if they are in the soil. Some
nutrients, like aluminum, become overly available, which leads to burnt roots.
 Soil that is too acidic can ensure no plants will grow, regardless of how much
fertilizer is applied. The only way to be certain of the pH level of your soil is to
have it tested. Soil test kits are available at garden centers and online, though
the effectiveness of home testing can vary. For the most accurate results,
consult with a soil testing laboratory.

12. Limestone for Lawns
 If your grass is not coming in with the thickness and color you would like, using
limestone for lawns is an option you should strongly consider. Applying
limestone increases bacterial activity in the soil, which creates a more
favorable soil structure. It helps with the disintegration of organic matter and
compost. This in turn makes the soil more porous, which increases the air’s
ability to circulate through the soil and hold and absorb water. These factors
help root systems grow stronger and collect more water and nutrients from
the soil.
 The optimal time to apply limestone for a healthy lawn is when soil is being
prepared for planting. This helps to provide an even distribution and
penetrate to the necessary depth.
 Pelleted lime has a number of advantages in the use of limestone for lawns.
You can spread it by hand, without getting dust everywhere. It doesn’t blow
into areas where lime isn’t needed. It solves the problem of dust getting
tracked into interior spaces or patios. And it’s easier to clean up if the bag
breaks or the lime is misapplied.

13. Grow Your Greens
 Turf managers need to maintain a tight grip on their golf course in
order to make sure it plays right. They use silica sand in their putting
greens and this tends to make the soil too acidic. The Bermuda or
Bentgrass used on most putting greens needs careful maintenance
above and beyond the care given to the typical home lawn.
Monitoring the soil’s pH balance, particularly soil that interacts with
silica sand, is key to keeping the grass healthy and playing well.
 Different turfgrass species and varieties each have their own ideal
soil pH level. While the optimal pH range for Kentucky bluegrass is
between 6.0 and 7.0, fine fescues prefer a more acidic range of 5.5
to 6.0. If you’re managing a golf course’s turf, or even building a
backyard putting green, it’s incumbent upon you to keep a very
close watch on your soil’s pH level, and apply lime if it gets out of
the ideal range.

14. Use Lime to Keep Your Horses
Healthy and Happy
 In cold climates, horses need to stay warm in the winter. This means barn
owners must keep their barn doors closed, which in turn means horse stalls are
getting less ventilation. Under these conditions, the level of ammonia in the
horse’s stall can build up quickly.
 Ammonia comes from a substance in horse urine and manure called urea.
While urea has no odor and is not toxic, it can quickly and naturally convert to
ammonia. If there’s too much ammonia in the air, it poses a threat to horses.
Exposure to too much ammonia can cause thrush and respiratory problems
for horses because it irritates their airways.
 Crushed lime placed under the horse’s stall will help absorb ammonia odors
and soak up moisture. Take care that the horse does not come into direct
contact with lime, since it can be caustic. Place it underneath bedding so the
horse does not stand directly in it or get it on its skin. Safely applied, lime can
help keep horses healthy in the winter months.

15. Here Kitty Kitty: Limestone in
Kitty Litter
 The same principles that make limestone an odor-
and-moisture-absorbent material for horse stalls
make it an effective ingredient in cat litter. Your
cat’s urine contains ammonia, and while exposure
to small amounts of ammonia in the short term is
harmless, it can ultimately cause irritation and
respiratory problems for your feline friend. As an
ingredient in cat litter, limestone helps counteract
the effects of ammonia build-up while making
your cat’s litter box dryer and easier for you and
your cat to be around.

16. One of the Oldest Uses for
Limestone
 Blocks or plates of limestone have been used in building for centuries. The
Megalithic Temples of Malta are made entirely of limestone, as are some of
the oldest surviving free-standing structures. Many medieval churches and
castles in Europe are made of limestone, and even the Great Pyramid of Giza
is covered entirely in limestone.
 But it wasn’t only ancient buildings that used limestone as a key material.
Limestone was very popular in the Victorian era, and after the 20th Century.
Many train stations or banks that date from that era are built of limestone. The
town of Kingston, Ontario, Canada has so many buildings made from it that it
gained the nickname the “Limestone City.”
 While limestone is susceptible to reaction with acid solutions (thus making acid
rain a difficult problem for limestone statues and monuments), it continues to
be an important building material today. A form of limestone called
“travertine” is a popular choice for tiles and exteriors, and thus the long
tradition of using limestone as a building material continues.

17. Getting You Where You Need
to Go
 Crushed limestone is a key ingredient in
construction aggregate, the solid base of
many roads. It’s also used in the asphalt
that covers the road. Limestone is a
crucial material for road construction and
shows no signs of slowing down as we look
to update our roads and urban
infrastructure.

18. Limestone Shines Bright
 Limestone even has a hand in keeping your teeth clean. It has long
been used as a white pigment, and now it serves that function in a
variety of industrial products. In toothpaste, it works as both a
pigment and a filler. It is a particularly inexpensive filler, so it finds its
way into a variety of papers, plastics, paints and tiles. Limestone
helps these industrial products get bigger, and also shine brighter.
 Because it is a softer material, limestone is used in a wide variety of
carvings and statues dating back hundreds of years. Limestone’s
susceptibility to acid rain causes many outdoor limestone statues to
suffer, but it is still used today due to its suitability for carving.
 The simplicity and beauty of natural limestone complement its
many agricultural, construction and industrial uses. It is a truly
versatile material, making our cities and spaces more attractive,
while also helping to keep our soil healthy and in balance.
Limestone’s many uses help make the world a more livable,
beautiful place.

19. Baker Lime for Your Many
Limestone Needs
 If you’re interested in how Baker Lime’s Ag
Lime products can work for you, browse
our many product offerings or contact us
for a quote. Baker Lime has been in the
business since 1889, making us a
trustworthy and dependable source for
high-quality crushed and pulverized Ag
Lime products. Contact us today to learn
more.