California · Lime

How much lime per acre in California?

California's land-grant extension doesn't use a one-size-fits-all number — it uses a published method. Combined source: lime + nutrients (UC ANR 8292) in california_uc_anr v1.1. Enter your soil-test values in the free calculator and Zone Forge returns tons of CaCO₃-equivalent per acre, ECCE-adjusted, with the citation.

Within California

Need lime: North Coast, Sierra foothills, coastal North/Central CA. Do NOT need lime: Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Imperial Valley, Salinas Valley, most of Southern CA.

Published source: California — UC ANR / CDFA-FREP / UC Davis Nutrient Management (Olsen-P calibration + commodity manuals)

Frequently asked

How much lime per acre does California recommend?

It depends on your soil's buffer/acidity reading and your target pH — California publishes a method, not a single number. Combined source: lime + nutrients (UC ANR 8292) in california_uc_anr v1.1. Enter your values in the free Zone Forge lime calculator for tons of CaCO3-equivalent per acre, with the citation.

What lime method does California use?

Combined source: lime + nutrients (UC ANR 8292) in california_uc_anr v1.1. Source: California — UC ANR / CDFA-FREP / UC Davis Nutrient Management (Olsen-P calibration + commodity manuals).

Zone Forge computes every California recommendation from that state's own published land-grant method — lime, soil-test fertilizer, and full variable-rate prescriptions. See the science →