The growth and normal development of fruit and berry and vegetable plants depends on the composition of the soil. The level of its acidity has a particular effect. According to this indicator, soils are divided into three groups: acidic, neutral and alkaline. For many horticultural crops, the most dangerous are soils with an increased level of acidity. In plants growing under such conditions, one can notice a clear slowdown in growth, due to the poor absorption of nutrients contained in acidic soils. Periodic liming of the soil allows you to even out the acid-base balance, thereby eliminating the cause that inhibits plant growth.
The need for soil deoxidation can be found out both by external signs and by the results of laboratory tests. It is necessary to immediately liming the soil if the land on the site has acquired a whitish or gray-white hue. The presence of a 10-centimeter podzolic horizon also speaks of the increased acidity of the soil. Weed overgrowth can also be an indicator of excessive acidification of garden soil. By the color of litmus indicator papers dipped into soil samples diluted with water, you can find out the type of soil.
The material on how to care for the soil in the country will also be useful:
The device is a PH meter that allows the gardener to accurately and quickly determine the level of acidity of the soil in different parts of his garden or vegetable garden
If you want to know the exact degree of soil acidity, then submit samples for analysis to an agrochemical laboratory.
Most often, liming of acidic soils is carried out using slaked lime. When calculating the required amount of this substance, take into account:
- the composition of the soil in the garden;
- acidity level of the earth;
- estimated embedment depth.
At high acidity (pH5 and below), large doses of lime are introduced into the soil. For each square meter of clay and loamy soil, add at least 0,5 kg of limestone, and sandy – 0,3 kg. With an average level of soil acidity, the doses are reduced to 0,3 kg and 0,2 kg, respectively. In sandy soils with a low level of acidity, lime materials are not added, and in clay and loamy soils, it is enough to add 0,2 kg per square meter.
No less common among gardeners is the method of liming soils with wood ash containing up to 35% calcium. Wood ash contains phosphorus, potassium and other trace elements that have a beneficial effect on plant growth.
The rate of lime application, indicated in kilograms per ten square meters, when liming different types of acidic soils in a garden plot
Also, liming and gypsum of soils is carried out using lake lime (drywall), chalk, peat ash, dolomite flour, fluff lime, etc.
It is recommended at the stage of laying the garden to carry out the initial measures for liming the site. It is advisable to liming the site in the autumn, applying limestone fertilizers along with organic fertilizers before digging up the earth. Digging the site allows you not to leave the introduced substances on the soil surface. If such events are planned for the spring, then they are carried out three weeks before the start of sowing vegetables. It is allowed to carry out liming of the soil in winter, while dolomite flour is scattered right on top of the snow. The thickness of the snow cover should not exceed 30 cm. It is not necessary to add lime together with manure, since insoluble compounds are formed during their interaction.
For vegetable crops such as beets and cabbage, it is necessary to apply lime material directly in the year of sowing. By alternating crops, other vegetables are planted in the limed areas of the garden only the next year. Liming of the area used constantly for growing potatoes is carried out only in the fall.
During the main (reclamation) liming, full doses of materials are introduced into the soil with increased acidity, increasing the pH value to the specified value. The purpose of repeated (supporting) liming is to maintain an optimal level of reaction of the environment on the site in the soil. At the same time, the introduction of small doses of lime fertilizers compensates for the loss of lime from the ground that occurred during the season.
To get a good harvest, you need to apply fertilizer in the spring. Read about this:
Lime flour allows you to bring the level of soil acidity to the desired level, taking into account the needs of the crops grown on this site
As a result of liming the site, it is possible to:
- to activate the vital activity of a number of beneficial microorganisms (nodule bacteria, etc.);
- enrich the soil with nutrients available for garden plants;
- improve the physical properties of the soil (water permeability, structure, etc.);
- increase the efficiency of mineral and organic fertilizers by 30-40%;
- reduce the amount of toxic elements in cultivated products (especially important for garden plots located near industrial zones).
So, liming the soil allows you to eliminate the problem of excessive acidity. The applied lime fertilizers have a beneficial effect on the growth, development and productivity of crops grown on the site. The return on the costs incurred by the gardener for the purchase of mineral and organic fertilizers increases. On neutral soils, the process of accumulation of harmful substances in vegetables and berries slows down. Liming the site allows you to collect an environmentally friendly crop.
