Oyster lime is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve mollusks that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape, Many, but not all, oysters are in the superfamily Ostreoidea. Some types of oysters are commonly consumed cooked or raw, and in some locales are regarded as a delicacy, Some types of pearl oysters are harvested for the pearl produced within the mantle.
oyster lime Quality Grades
Which liming material is best? If you have acid soil, adding lime will make it less acid, because lime is alkaline, There are several liming materials available, so you need to know which one will do the best job for you and give you value for money.
Before you buy any liming material, check these details.
- Neutralizing value (NV ) – NV tells you the lime’s capacity to neutralize soil acidity. Pure calcium carbonate has NV of 100, which is the standard. Ideally, NV should be over 95. The NV figure is marked on the lime bag, or the invoice if you buy bulk lime.
Fineness – the finer the particles of lime, the faster they react with the soil. Lime manufacturers have to specify the percentages of different-sized particles in their product.
- Calcium and magnesium content – your soil test results and your crop’s need for calcium and/or magnesium will help you decide which lime to buy. Agricultural lime has calcium and little magnesium; dolomite has calcium and magnesium, and magnesite has magnesium and little calcium. You will find the percentages of each nutrient marked on the bag or invoice.
Types of liming materials
- Agricultural lime (calcium carbonate)
This is the most commonly used liming material on the North Coast. It consists of limestone crushed to a fine powder and is usually the cheapest material for correcting soil acidity. Good quality lime has 37–40% calcium.
- Burnt lime (calcium oxide)
Also known as quicklime, burnt lime is derived by heating limestone to drive off carbon dioxide. It is more concentrated and caustic than agricultural lime and unpleasant to handle, so it is rarely used in agriculture.
Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide)This is made by treating burnt lime with water and is used mainly in mortar and concrete. It is more expensive than agricultural lime.
- Dolomite
Widely but often incorrectly used on the North Coast, particularly in horticulture, dolomite is a naturally occurring rock containing calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Good quality dolomite has an NV of 95–98 and contains 22% calcium and 12% magnesium. It is good for acid soils where supplies of calcium and magnesium are low, but if used constantly may cause a nutrient imbalance, because the mix is two parts calcium to one part magnesium (2:1), whereas the soil ratio should be around 5:1, There is a blend of lime and dolomite available with a 5:1 ratio.
- Magnesite (magnesium carbonate)
Made from crushed magnesium carbonate rock, good quality magnesite has 25–28% magnesium, virtually no calcium, and NV of 95–105.
- Burnt magnesite (magnesium oxide)
This is derived by heating magnesite and contains about 50% magnesium. It is sold in granulated form and its NV is 180–220. Use magnesite and burnt magnesite if your acid soil already has enough calcium.
- Wet lime
Wet liming materials are sometimes available at low prices and their usefulness is determined by the NV and water content. If the water content is 10%, then the lime will only be 90% as effective as dry lime. You need to consider the extra costs of handling, freight, and spreading.
- Lime and cement kiln dust
This dust can be good value but you need to check the analysis before you buy. Their NV varies from 70–150 and calcium from 25–54%. Magnesium is usually less than 1%.
- Crushed clam shells
Shells of oysters and other shellfish are mainly calcium carbonate, but the shell tends to be contaminated with sand and organic material and is usually too coarse to be effective in soil.
- Gypsum (calcium sulfate)
Gypsum is classified by the Fertilizer Act as a liming material but is not considered one in farming as it does not reduce soil acidity. It is used mainly to improve the structure of sodic clay soils, and these are not common on the North Coast.
oyster lime Economic value
North Carolina began oyster enhancement activities in coastal waters in 1915, Recognizing the commercial and ecological values of the oysters, North Carolina continues to enhance oyster shell lime with support from the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan (Deaton et al., 2010), which recommends expanding shell bottom enhancement activities. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) manages three separate programs for habitat enhancement: 1) Shellfish Rehabilitation Program, 2) Oyster Sanctuary Program, and 3) Artificial Reef Program. All three programs provide submerged structures to promote settlement, growth, and proliferation of oysters. The Artificial Reef Program, while undertaken to expand recreational fishing opportunities, also provides expanded oyster habitat when reefs are constructed within oyster-growing areas.
North Carolina continues to pursue shellfish habitat enhancement, and the NCDMF has created a strong network of partners to assist with habitat enhancement projects, including federal agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and environmental nonprofits (The North Carolina Coastal Federation and The Nature Conservancy).
To better document how habitat enhancement projects in North Carolina improve the coastal economy and environment, the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership contracted with RTI International to assess the benefits and costs of the three oyster programs under the NCDMF habitat enhancement programs. Key findings include the following:
Executive summary:
- Supported over 500 acres of habitat
- Provided market and nonmarket benefits, including
- Commercial fishing (including oyster harvest services from oyster cultch planting activities only), recreational fishing, and
- Water quality services such as nitrogen removal and shoreline stabilization services (oyster cultch planting activities only);
- Provided an expected benefits contribution by benefit type as follows: recreational fishing (38%), water quality (33%), and commercial fishing (29%).
- Created 696 jobs over multiple years, with an average of over 100 jobs per year,
- Grant funding amounts included salaries and benefits, supplies (oyster shells and other materials), equipment (boat rental), and disbursements to local project partners and contractors.
Generally, it is more cost-effective for NCDMF to complete smaller-scale projects while contracting out the larger ones. Deployment costs, timelines, and the cost of monitoring contractors should all be considered when making this decision.
oyster lime Largest sales units
This pamphlet, prepared by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at Gloucester Point, provides certain historical and scientific information on oyster culture. It may be of special use to those who wish to raise oysters for home consumption. School teachers, students and other persons interested in the biology of oysters and their culture should find this to be a useful source or enlightenment. The information reported in these pages is the result of research conducted at VIMS and in similar institutions throughout the country and world. Oyster culture methods described are employed by successful planters.
Virginia oystermen exploited a seemingly inexhaustible supply of wild oysters well into the last half of the nineteenth century. However, certain state men saw that such intensive harvesting was removing oysters faster than they could be naturally replaced and that he would surely exhaust the supply in time. Responding o suggestions f citizens interested in improving oyster production in the state, the Virginia General Assembly, through many years of legislation, has designated natural beds as public grounds, has regulated both gear and time for harvesting oysters n public grounds, and has established system hereby certain grounds may be leased for private cultivation of oysters.
The available area for oyster production has been reduced over the years by demands of commerce and industry on tidal waters, and by the use of these waters for disposal of domestic and industrial wastes. In order to create a more vigorous oyster industry in the state, managers of the industry are seeking improved methods of culture.
They look to marine scientists and engineers o supply the information necessary for increased production.
Truly, mussels are the perfect meal for the way we live – and cook – now. Not too expensive, mussels price per pound is not high and quick to prepare. When you purchase fresh mussels, they are alive. The shells might be slightly open, and if you tap them they will shut.
oyster lime Selection Guide
Raw, baked, served with a splash of lemon or a mild mignonette, oysters are great for any occasion. Your IGA seafood counter has a wide variety to choose from. Whether you’re planning a romantic evening for two or a get-together among friends, IGA has got you covered with several different formats; purchase them individually, or opt for a dozen, a box (12 to 36 oysters), or even a crate filled with 100+ oysters!
How many oysters should you have on deck?
- 6 to 8 oysters per person as an appetizer
- 12 to 15 oysters per person as a main course with side dishes
- 18 to 30 oysters per person as a main course with no side dishes
- Offer your guests 2 to 3 varieties of oysters to choose from, making sure to include various sizes, origins, and flavors.
- Eat varieties in order from least to most salty.
Raw oysters pair nicely with lemon, or with spicy Tabasco sauce, but you can also try them with chili sauce, salsa, vinegar, or wine, beer, and Champagne mignonettes. The possibilities are endless!
If you plan on serving them warm, make sure to keep a close eye on their cooking time, as they have a tendency to become rubbery when overcooked.
These large oyster shell balls look great as table centerpieces or randomly placed on windowsills or shelves, they could even use as bookends. Each decorative sphere is handmade from lots of oyster shells carefully pieced together to form a unique interior decoration. You can’t help but hear the sound of the waves when you introduce this product to your home. The Oyster or Talaba is a marine mollusk popular with diners; mostly found in coastal waters the shell has a rough, irregular exterior.
As a natural product, each piece will vary slightly, unique imperfections and cracks are a natural characteristic of oyster shells and these should be considered quite normal, the perfect finishing touch to your coastal room.
oyster lime Advantage
There are plenty of ways that oyster shells are useful for your garden and their calcium content helps to balance soil pH levels, improves nitrate uptake, aids enzyme formation and strengthens plant cell walls. If you’re growing leafy greens like lettuce and spinach or cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli, adding powdered oyster shells to your soil will make a big difference in your plants’ overall growth rates and vitality. The coarse texture of oyster shells also helps to reduce compaction in the soil. And, it helps prevent potted plants from getting waterlogged by allowing water to run through the soil without getting trapped along the way.
As it turns out, the oyster shell has plenty of advantages for your home besides the fertility of your garden. Because oyster shells are almost pure calcium carbonate, they make a useful supplement for poultry farmers that want their chickens to lay thick-shelled eggs. You can also use oyster shells to keep garden pests away. When applied at the openings of their tunnels, the sharp shards and gritty texture also works as a deterrent in the soil to keep moles and voles far away from your plants.
Do Your Chickens Need Oyster Shell?
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that grit and oyster shells are the same things. Your hens require both oyster shell and grit. Without it, serious health issues can arise, such as Sour Crop and Brittle Bones. So now we know that our ladies need oyster shell and grit as additives to their diet, but why do they need them?
Chickens don’t have the means to grind or masticate their food since they don’t have teeth so they need something to reduce the food particle size to a manageable form. The grit, after ingestion, travels down into the gizzard where it will stay for quite a while until it is worn down sufficiently to pass through the bird without causing harm. Once it settles there, it goes to work helping the muscular gizzard to grind down the food into a nutritious paste from which the gut absorbs all the nutrients and water before eliminating the waste. Without grit, the food would not be rendered into a useable form for the bird. In fact, insufficient grit can cause things like impactions because the gut cannot deal with lumps of food – it just isn’t set up that way.
In general, oyster shell calcium for chickens is very good, but without grit, it will come to a halt.
oyster lime Applications
Oyster lime is widely used as bio-indicators to monitor the health of aquatic environments in both freshwater and marine environments. They are particularly useful since they are distributed worldwide and they are sessile. These characteristics ensure that they are representative of the environment where they are sampled or placed.
Their population status or structure, physiology, behavior or the level of contamination with elements or compounds can indicate the status of the ecosystem. There are many different strategies for applying oyster shells to your garden. Although when used as a mulch, layers about two inches thick are best. After adding oyster shell to your soil, be sure to water it in thoroughly. This will allow the pieces to chemically interlock and become rooted in the soil so that they don’t blow away.Hydrated lime is used in both the mussel and oyster aquaculture industries for controlling predators and fouling organisms that impact the culture of shellfish. Fouling organisms that are controlled with the use of lime include starfish, tunicates, bryozoans and the PEI shellfish industry, hydrated lime is mixed with seawater to create a suspension at an approximate concentration of 4%. This is the equivalent of 40 g of hydrated lime in 960 mL of seawater. The lime/seawater suspension is highly alkaline with a pH of approximately 12.7.
Your comment submitted.