Yes, add the Lime.

If you're planting blueberries, you can omit the Lime...although you'll still need to provide Cal/Mag.

Josh

Greenman, can I ask precisely why the initial lime is necessary in the scenario I described in the OP?

No CRF or gypsum

Is your bark well composted?

I recently experimented with a few 511 variations. There was a very noticable difference between the mixes with nitrogen in the mixes vs the mixes without nitrogen applied in the mix. By noticable I mean the squash plants in the mix with nitrogen are currently more than twice the size of those without fertilizer in the mix.

Zeuspaul

In addition to providing calcium (and magnesium, if you're using dolomite), lime raises the pH of the 5-1-1 mix to a range that's optimal for most plants. Without the addition of lime, your mix will likely have a pH between 4 and 5, which will make it more difficult for all but acid soil adapted plants to acquire the nutrients that they need. So, although Foliage Pro provides Ca and Mg, you still have the pH issue that needs to be addressed.

Nonetheless, if you're the type of person who likes to experiment, then you might want to try omitting the lime from a pot or two just to see what happens. It really depends on the plant in question and how willing you are to risk suboptimal growth.

Finally, I'll also second zeuspaul's recommendation for a CRF. I've had better results when I've combined a CRF with Foliage Pro than when I've relied on Foliage Pro alone.

This post was edited by shazaam on Sat, Aug 24, 13 at 10:37

Thanks, Shazaam. You hit all the main points.

Josh