[blownin]

Is the lime you can buy in builders merchants (White Rhino) ok for garden use ?

[James Kilkelly]

builders lime AKA hydrated lime.
If you were very badly stuck you could use it, but it has loads of down points.
It works way quicker than regular horticultural lime, and because of this is prone to burn plant roots.
Easy come, easy go, as the fine powders alkaline effects leech out of the soil quickly as well.
Due to its speed of action it an be good as a quick fix to perk up plants showing signs of calcium deficiency or an overly acidic ph.
You run more of a risk of damage to yourself from burns, inhalation, and eye damage if spreading it on a breezy day than if using the heavier horticultural lime.
Wear protective gear or perhaps mix the lime in a solution with water and spread it that way.
A gardener I know used it in half the quantity required for horticultural lime and found that adequate.