Why apply lime?
Unless action is taken to maintain the balance of soils by applying an alkali material such as lime there will be a natural reduction of lime in most soils. This will result in an increase in acidity and in most cases the reduction in soil fertility and damage to soil structure.
Losses mainly occur due to the reasons shown below:
CROPPING - LEACHING - FERTILISING - POLLUTION THE AVERAGE LIME LOSSES CAN AMOUNT TO: |
LOSS MECHANISMS
Plants make the soil more acid by:
- As left over crop residue decomposes Organic and inorganic acids are formed and left in the soil
- As plants grow they remove magnesium and calcium from the soil which makes the soil more acidic
- Tilling the soil deeper than the root zone may bring acidic subsoil to the root zone area
- As plants grow they also release hydrogen ions into the soil which is an acid forming process
Acid rain
Polution from power stations and motor vehicles using fossil fuels returns to the ground in the rain as nitric and sulphuric acid making the soil conditions more acidic
Leaching
Soil nutrients such as calcium and magnesium can be carried out of the soil as water travels through it , this also leaves the soil more acidic.
Ammonium rich fertilisers
Ammonium nitrate rich fertilisers also contribute to soil acidity by nitrification of ammoniacal (NH4) nitrogen to nitrate which releases hydrogen ions which in turn makes the soil more acidic
Please feel free to give us a call as we can perform PH testing for you giving you accurate results which in turn will tell you if you need to apply lime.
we can provide the lime for you and spread it when needed
