How and why is liming of the soil carried out in the beds and in the garden

Soil liming is the process of introducing special additives into the soil to reduce the acidity level. For this purpose, you can use lime, chalk powder, calcareous tuff, marl, shale and peat ash, belite and dolomite flour, as well as cement dust and open-hearth slag. But, for example, sodium salts for liming the soil are not suitable, since it will become unsuitable for efficient cultivation of crops.

Soil liming: when and for what purpose?

The introduction of lime into the soil leads not only to the fact that the acidity of the soil decreases, but also to an increase in the proportion of calcium, magnesium and other useful micro- and macroelements. Therefore, liming the soil is not only a decrease in acidity, but also an important fertilization for plants.

The pluses of liming also include an increase in soil looseness - such a soil will absorb moisture well and keep it close to the surface. In this way, the roots of the plants will receive optimum water saturation even in hot weather. In conditions of moisture and saturation with useful elements, soil microflora rapidly develops, which leads to natural fertilization of the beds. At the same time, root crops will not absorb a large amount of toxic substances, as they would if liming was not carried out on time.

It is impossible to lime the soil and fertilize it with manure at the same time, as the result will be an insoluble and useless mixture for plants.

Too acidic soils are bad for the development of crops. If there is soil with high acidity on the site, it will be difficult to achieve a good harvest of all types of beets, as well as cabbage, corn and legumes. If the soil is also sandy, then the plantings will lack magnesium and calcium. Manganese and aluminum compounds that are harmful to plants, on the contrary, will show increased activity.

Determination of soil acidity

At home, you can independently check whether liming of acidic soils is required on your site. The easiest way for this purpose is to use litmus tests or special devices to find the limit of soil acidity. If there is no opportunity to conduct an accurate analysis, you will have to rely on "folk remedies":

Weeds such as horsetail and dandelion grow very quickly on soil with a lack of alkali. Sorrel, mint and plantain are preferred in acidic soil. Clover, coltsfoot and quinoa grow well on alkaline or neutral soil.
The top layer of the soil looks like wood ash; in some areas on the surface, a grayish bloom is even noticeable.
Pay attention to the natural puddles and lowlands in the area - after the rain the water turns red, sometimes an inconspicuous film of rainbow colors appears at the top.
Take a small handful of soil from the plot and sprinkle it with vinegar. If nothing happens, this is also a sign of increased acidity (since vinegar is an acid, you should not expect a violent reaction when mixed with acidic soil). But if the earth began to hiss and foam, then it is either neutral or alkaline, in this case liming of the soil is not necessary.

Liming and gypsum soil

Plastering differs from liming the soil with lime in that it not only lowers the acidity, but allows you to get rid of excess sodium in the soil. Sodium negatively affects the physical and chemical properties of the land, and growing crops in such areas becomes much more difficult.

What chemical reactions occur after gypsum is added to the soil? The percentage of sodium decreases, and it is replaced by abundant calcium introduced into the soil. Since calcium is useful for plants, its introduction has a positive effect on the growth of crops.

For gypsum, industrial waste with a high content of gypsum and phosphorus, as well as raw gypsum, is usually used. To determine how much gypsum needs to be added, a biochemical analysis of the soil is preliminarily carried out, determining the amount of sodium it contains. On average, you will need from 3 to 15 tons of fertilizer, and the greatest need for gypsum is felt by salt licks and solonetzic soils.

Plastering can be done during plowing, sowing perennial plants or irrigation. As a result, the yield of cultivated crops increases by 3-6 centners per hectare. It should be borne in mind that the most effective gypsum plastering of irrigated areas, but the reclamation period of the site is reduced.

Types of lime fertilizers

For liming, both powders (chalk, dolomite, limestone) specially obtained by firing or grinding can be used, as well as industrial waste with a high percentage of lime.

The main soil liming agent is lime flour, almost entirely composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). If the mixture contains, in addition to calcium carbonate, a large amount of magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃), then this mixture is called dolomite flour. Magnesium breeds are more durable, and it is somewhat more difficult to get flour from them, but the result is a fertilizer that is more useful for agricultural crops. The greatest deficiency in magnesium salts is experienced by sandy soils, therefore, pure lime is practically not used for them. For best results, you can add marl and even ordinary cement dust to the mixture.

The quality of the powders applied to the soil is determined by the percentage of calcium and magnesium carbonates (this is especially important for industrial waste) and how fine the grinding is. Large particles have less ability to solubility, so the soil "absorbs" them more slowly. For maximum efficiency, it is advisable to choose limestone flour with a grinding thickness of no more than 0.25 mm.

Means for effective liming - slaked lime... It is a powder obtained by firing limestone rocks, combined with water. Slaked lime or fluff in the first few years neutralizes the soil faster than conventional lime flour. After several courses of liming, the effectiveness of these two compositions becomes approximately the same.

If it is not possible to carry out classical liming, you can use oven ash at home - it is poured under the root of acid-sensitive plants.

Soil liming: application rate

Usually, when calculating, they are guided by the so-called full rate - the amount of lime (tons per hectare), at which acidity indicators decrease to a slightly acidic reaction.

Before calculating how much lime is needed for the site, it is necessary to determine not only the area occupied by the plantings, but also the following characteristics:

The mechanical composition of the soil.
Natural acidity of the soil on the site.
Features of crops grown in this area. For example, clover, cabbage and beets are sensitive to lime fertilization, so it is advisable to provide a full rate of lime in the areas occupied by them. But on lupine or potatoes acidity practically does not affect - there is no point in overloading the soil with lime, and therefore it is possible to reduce the rate by one to two thirds.

The rate of liming of the soil with any particular mixture is calculated according to the following formula: H = Rate of lime based on the acidity calculated in advance * 10000 and divided by the Percentage of lime in the mixture * (100 is the percentage of large particles).

Here, the lime rate is taken into account in tonnes per hectare. Large particles are particles with a diameter greater than 1 mm.

If it is necessary to liming acidic soil on a large scale, it is possible to preliminarily draw up a map of the site indicating the crops. In some places, the acidity may be higher, and vice versa, so for optimal placement of the beds, you need to take into account the difference between the soils.

Methods and terms of liming the soil

It is best to liming the soil in the spring before planting crops or in the autumn before digging the beds so that the introduced substances do not remain on the surface. If spring liming is planned, then the procedure must be carried out no later than three weeks before planting.

Dolomite flour can be used for liming, even in winter, by sprinkling it in the fields right on top of the snow cover.

Primary liming is carried out before planting beets and fodder beets or cabbage. Other types of crops allow not to fertilize the soil with lime again and to alternate planting, while the effectiveness of fertilization does not decrease.

During the season, part of the introduced lime is lost, therefore, periodically (not necessarily every year), re-liming is carried out. For the first time, such an amount of lime or dolomite flour is introduced to completely neutralize the acidity of the soil. Repeat - only small doses, constantly monitoring acidity levels and maintaining optimal calcium and magnesium levels.

How to properly fertilize the soil with lime:

If lime or dolomite mixture is not finely ground, then before adding to the soil, it is pounded to a powder state.
The finished composition is evenly distributed over the entire area.
Lime is mixed manually or with the help of agricultural machinery at a depth of 20-25 cm.If the procedure is repeated, and an incomplete amount of lime is added, then the depth of the loosened soil should not exceed 4-6 cm.

Autumn liming allows you to more accurately adjust the ratio of acids and alkalis in the soil, and the result will last for a longer period than when lime was applied in spring. Fertilization with lime in autumn is even safer, since some compounds (for example, slaked lime or wood ash) are quite caustic and can damage the roots of plants by direct contact. In this case, there is no need to deeply loosen the soil - after rain and snowfall, the mixtures naturally reach the required depth.

With the correct preliminary calculation, it will be necessary to repeat the procedure no earlier than in 5-7 years.

If desired, you can mix lime or dolomite flour, as well as gypsum powder with boric, copper, cobalt, potassium or even bacterial fertilizers. To ensure greater fertility, and superphosphates.

Results of regular liming

Liming acidic soils is a simple and environmentally friendly way to increase the fertility of the land on the site. Factors due to which a positive effect is achieved:

activation of the vital activity of some microorganisms useful for garden plants, such as nodule bacteria, etc.;
increasing water resistance and mechanical loosening of the soil, due to which water, together with fertilizers, does not leave the roots and tubers for a long time;
enrichment of the earth with useful elements (calcium, magnesium, fluorine);
prevention of the absorption of toxic substances by plants - this is especially important for areas adjacent to industrial zones;
faster assimilation of mineral elements.

All of these factors make it possible to collect an ecologically clean and rich harvest with the onset of autumn.

To make sure of the need for timely liming of the soil, you can calculate the economic benefit from the procedure - payback time and net profit. To do this, you need to calculate the costs of purchasing lime mixtures and their distribution over the territory, as well as the increase in crops for the years following liming. Obviously, the fastest possible payback can be achieved if liming is carried out on highly acidic soils and subsequently crops that are sensitive to liming (vegetables, fodder plants and potatoes) are planted. As a result of the neutralization of the soil, the plants cease to suffer from the harmful effects of acids and receive much more nutrients than before.

Liming the soil in autumn - video

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