Soil liming
Liming is required for all types of soil with excess acidity for cultivated plants, including peat, as the absorption of individual plant nutrients depends on the reaction of the soil solution - acid, neutral or alkaline. In practice, the soil acidity index( pH) is divided into the following groups: strong acid -3-4, acid 4-5, slightly acid 5-6, neutral - about 7, slightly alkaline -7-8, alkaline -8-9, strongly alkaline -9-11.
The optimum soil pH for garden crops is shown in the table. On soils with excess acidity, nutrients are poorly absorbed, the soil structure, the conditions for the development of beneficial microorganisms and the plants themselves deteriorate. By the nature of weed vegetation, it is possible to roughly estimate the acidity of the soil in the garden plot.
On acidic soil On weakly acidic and neutral soil
Sorrel on horseback Bindweed on field
Field horsetail Mother-and-stepmother
Mocritus( stellate) Paddies creeping
Chickweed Chamomile Odorless
Plantain Gardenhorse
Violet tri-color Quinoa
Ivan-da Marya Krapiva
Osooki Kleverpink
Buttercup creeping Donnik
However, it is only possible to determine the acidity of soil with the help of chemical analysis.
Optimal soil acidity for fruit and berry crops
| Culture pH | Sour 4.5-5.0 | Sulfuric acid 5.1-5.5 | Slightly acid 5,6-6,0 | Close to neutral 6, 1-6.5 | Neutral 6.6-7.0 |
| Apple Tree | ----------------------- | ||||
| Cherry | ------------------- | ||||
| Plum | ------------------- | ||||
| Ashberry ashberry | - ---------------------- | ||||
| Seabuckthorn | ------------------- | ||||
| Black currant | - ---------------------- | ||||
| Red currant | ----------------------- | ||||
| Gooseberry | ----------------------- | ||||
| Raspberries | ------------------ | ||||
| Strawberries | -------- | ------------------ |
Excessive soil acidity for plants can be eliminated by neutralizing it with various calcareous materials. Doses of lime depend on the acidity, the mechanical composition of the soil and the crop. Doses of ground limestone( CaCO3) can range from 100-150 g / m2 on sandy and sandy loamy soils at a weakly acidic pH, up to 1-1.4 kg / m2 on clayey strongly acidic soils( Table).As lime materials can be used: ground limestone, slaked lime( pushonku), dolomite flour, carbide lime, marl, bone meal, cement dust, etc.( Table).It is better to make them 1-2 years before planting plants or before it under the digging of the soil, evenly spreading over the entire area. The periodicity of liming is 6-8 years. Liming soil improves its structure and agrochemical indicators, activates the activity of beneficial microorganisms, increases the effect of mineral fertilizers.
Approximate doses of lime for liming of acid soils, g / m2
| Soils | Very acidic | Acidic | Sulfuric acid | Acidic acid | Neutral to | |
| pH( salt extract) | ||||||
| 3.8-4.0 | 4.1-4,5 | 4,6-5,0 | 5,1-5,5 | 5,6-6,0 | ||
| Sandpaper | 550-700 | 350-450 | 200-300 | 0-150 | not liming | |
| Lightweight loamy | 650-800 | 450-550 | 450-550 | 300-400 | 200-250 | 100-150 |
| Medium loam | 800-900 | 550-600 | 400-450 | 300-350 | 150-200 | |
| Heavy loam | 950-1050 | 650-750 | 500-600 | 400-450 | 250-300 | |
| Clay | 1050-1450 | 700-900 | 550-650 | 450-500 | 350-400 | |
| Peat | 400-500 | 300-400 | 100-200 | not lime | not lime |
Fertilizers used for liming of soils
Fertilizer|
| CaCO3 content,% | Fertilizer | CaCO3 content,% |
| Ground limestone | 100 |
| 140 |
| Carbide lime is slaked lime( pushonka) | 135 | Bone Meal | 68 |
| ground chalk | 90-100 | peat ash | 10-50 |
| ground dolomite | 75-100Gas | lime | 120 |
| calcareous tufa | 75-76 | open-hearth furnace slag | 140 |
| Ozyornaya lime | 70-96 | Blast furnace slag | 86 |
| Dolomite powder | 95-108 | Cement dust | 80 |
| Marl | 25-75 | Stlantsevaya ash | 65-80 |
| Torfotufy | 10-15 | Belitic flour | 80-90 |
Calculation of the doses of calcareous fertilizers is calculated using the formula: The dose of the available calcareous fertilizer, =( CaCO3 dose x 100 g per m2) /( % CaCO3 in the fertilizer)