Why Add Agricultural Lime To Your Soil?
by Vicki Harvey
If some or all of the soil on your farm is acidic, then you should consider adding agricultural lime to it. This lime has benefits that could improve your yields and profits. What are they?
Improve Plant Growth
If the soil on your land is acidic and lacks calcium, then your crops might not grow as effectively as they should. They might not have the inherent strength they need to survive and thrive.
Your plant health and growth will also suffer if your soil contains too high a percentage of toxic materials, such as manganese or aluminium. The quality of your crops and their yields might be disappointing.
Agricultural lime can improve plant growth. It helps your crops get enough calcium; it also counteracts the effects of acidification. If your soil has too much toxicity, then lime should reduce these levels by creating a better pH balance.
If your crops get better growing conditions, your yields and crop quality should improve. If this happens, then your profits should also be better.
Improve Soil Quality
Low-quality soil isn't always easy to improve. For example, you can fertilise poor soil; however, its condition usually means that fertilisers don't work as well as they should.
You might need to use more products to see positive results on a long-term basis. Or, you might struggle to follow environmentally-friendly practices if you have to rely on using stronger chemical fertilisers.
Agricultural lime makes poor acidic soils more receptive to fertilisers. The lime changes the composition of the soil and boosts its ability to take in and use all the beneficial components of any fertiliser.
Plus, once lime reduces the acidity of the soil, you should also see some natural benefits. Beneficial bacteria can thrive in lime-treated soil. It becomes a healthier and more attractive environment for worms. Both bacteria and worms work to improve the quality of the soil in a natural way. Organic matter will also compost more effectively and efficiently.
If you can reduce the amount of fertiliser that you have to use and the number of times you have to use it, then you reduce your costs. One lime boost could reduce the money you currently spend on soil improvement products and enable your soil to start to look after itself.
For more advice, contact an agricultural lime supplier. They can tell you more about the benefits of using lime on your farm. They can also evaluate your soil problems and recommend a suitable lime product for them.
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About Me
It's always tricky dealing with the swings of the weather when you are a farmer. You can suffer if there is too much rain, not enough rain or even rain at the wrong time of the year. It can make it really challenging to have enough feed for livestock or to be able to harvest a crop later in the year if you are a crop farmer. Often there are some relatively simple things you can do to manage these issues, including buying supplemental feeds or running drainage ditches. This blog is about managing all of the events that can happen over a long winter as a farmer or farm manager.