It was still around 5.7 last fall with 900 lbs/ac of Ca��There�s more to pH though than just the simple lime buggy discussions that we often have on forums. It actually fluctuates naturally throughout the different seasons and is influenced by a number of factors. I�ll admit I was disappointed when the pH didn�t jump right up to 6.8 after that first application, but a silver lining in it all�.. and what I�m very pleased to see happening for the long term�..is that my topsoil is actually holding onto the Ca very well over time.

Once I do get my Ca levels up to 1500 ish lbs/ac or whatever my balancing point is now�..then I won�t have to worry about bottoming out at 200-300 lbs/ac again every year or two like happened with heavy tillage. It should hold onto and continue to recycle most of that 1500 lbs over time. I�m not saying that will be the end of ever adding lime again but it will definitely be under much different circumstances than what I�ve dealt with in this rebuilding process. Hopefully, my OM% will continue to grow and with it so will my nutrient holding capacity. If that happens then I�ll add more lime because I can now hold say 2,000 lbs/ac of Ca. That�s a far different growing environment for a plant than the sand pit I started with that only had 300 lbs/ac of available Ca for plant growth. That�s a more important long term objective to focus on instead of getting too hung up on whether my pH the next round ends up being 5.9 or 6.5��if my Ca concentration goes up another 600-700+ lbs/ac then we are headed in the right direction.