Lime needs in Minnesota

What you need to know

Keep the following in mind when thinking about lime needs in Minnesota:

Liming to a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 or higher provides an ideal environment for bacteria in soils.
It also increases the supply of soil phosphorus available to plants.
Lime needs vary based on crop and geography.

The importance of lime

Liming materials are major inputs for crop production in Minnesota. When soils are acidic, there are many benefits from liming. Liming to a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 or higher provides an ideal environment for bacteria in soils. Some of these bacteria help break down soil organic matter. Other bacteria form nodules on the roots of legumes to help legumes use the nitrogen in the air so no fertilizer nitrogen is needed.

The availability of phosphorus is also affected by soil pH. Liming to a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 increases the supply of soil phosphorus available to plants. Most soils in Minnesota contain ample calcium (Ca) for crop growth. Liming materials are generally not used to supply calcium, but depending on the source may be used to supply magnesium (Mg).

Determining the need for lime

Map of Minnesota, western third is shaded green

The need for lime is not uniform across Minnesota and recommendations will vary. Analyzing a soil sample for pH and buffer pH is the only way to arrive at an accurate lime recommendation. Sample soils to a depth of 6 to 8 inches for accurate recommendations.

After the soil sample reaches the laboratory and is dried, a pH reading is taken in a mixture of equal parts of soil and water. This value is the soil pH. If the soil pH reading is less than 6.0, a buffer solution is added to the soil/water mixture and another pH reading is taken. This second reading is the buffer pH and is used to determine the amount of lime to apply. The current buffer used at the University of Minnesota is called the Sikora Buffer. The pH of the buffer itself is 7.5. When it is added to an acid soil, the pH of the buffer will drop. The change in the pH of the buffer is directly related to the amount of lime needed.

The buffer pH is not determined on soils with a soil pH of 6.0 or higher. The relative error of using the buffer is too high in this soil pH range. For these soils, standard guidelines are used to raise the soil pH to 6.5.

Lime guidelines for Minnesota are summarized in Tables 1-3. Consider the area of the state when using these suggestions (see map).

Optimum pH varies among different crops. Minnesota crops are divided into 3 groups. These groups are as follows:

Group 1. Alfalfa, alsike clover, apple, asparagus

Group 2.

Annual canary seed

Barley

Birdsfoot trefoil

Buckwheat

Canola

Corn

Edible bean

Flax

Grape

Grass for seed production

Grass hay

Lawn/turf

Mustard

Millet

Oat

Pea

Raspberry

Red clover

Rye

Sorghum sudan

Soybean

Strawberry

Sugar beet

Sunflower

Sweet corn

Vegetable crops

Wheat

Group 3. Potato, commercial grass sod, blueberry, wild rice

For mineral soils, apply lime to raise the soil pH to 6.5 if alfalfa, alsike clover, apples or asparagus are the intended crops. For any crop in group 2, apply lime to raise the soil pH to 6.0. The crops listed in group 3 grow best in acid soils and no lime is needed except for potato and grass sod when the pH drops below 4.9. In these cases, we suggest an application of 2000 lb ENP/A is suggested. For potatoes, apply this before growing a rotation crop to minimize scab development.

For organic soils, raise pH to 5.5. A pH greater than 5.5 in organic soils will cause nutrient availability problems.

Lime suggestions for mineral soils when soil pH is less than 6.0. The rates suggested should raise the pH to 6.0 or 6.5.

Sikora Buffer Index	Target pH 6.0	Target pH 6.0	Target pH 6.5	Target pH 6.5
	Area 1	Area 2	Area 1	Area 2
	ENP lb/acre	ENP lb/acre	ENP lb/acre	ENP lb/acre
6.8	2000	0	3000	2000
6.7	2000	0	3500	2000
6.6	2000	0	4000	2000
6.5	2500	0	4500	2000
6.4	3000	2000	5000	2500
6.3	3500	2000	5500	2500
6.2	4000	2000	6000	3000
6.1	4500	2000	6500	3000
6	5000	2500	7000	3500
5.9	5500	2500	7500	3500
5.8	6000	3000	8000	4000
5.7	6500	3000	8500	4000
5.6	7000	3500	9000	4500

Lime suggestions for mineral soils when the Sikora buffer test is not used (soil pH is 6.0 or greater). The rates suggested should raise the pH to 6.5.

Soil-Water pH	Area 1	Area 2
	ENP lb/acre	ENP lb/acre
6.5	0	0
6.4	2000	0
6.3	2000	0
6.2	3000	0
6.1	3000	0
6	3000	2000

Lime suggestions for organic soils. The rates suggested should raise the pH to 5.5.

Soil-Water pH	Area 1	Area 2
	ENP lb/acre	ENP lb/acre
5.4	2000	2000
5.3	2000	2000
5.2	2000	2000
5.1	2000	2000
5	2000	2000
4.9	3000	3000
4.8	3500	3500
4.7	4000	4000
4.6	4500	4500
4.5 or less	5000	5000

Authors: Daniel E. Kaiser and Carl J. Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialists

Reviewed in 2023