5 ways to deoxidize the garden

Sour soil in the garden is a problem faced by many owners of private houses and cottages. Since this is a favorite breeding ground exclusively for weeds, it is best for cultivated plants to have neutral and slightly acidic soils. But in vain you should not grieve. Normal liming will allow to deoxidize the land plot for several years. And how to do this folk remedies, we will talk later in our article.

Required pH level in the garden

There is a division into acidic, neutral and alkaline soils. The degree of acidity is determined by the icon pH:

• very acidic - pH 3.8-4.0;
• strongly acidic - pH 4.1-4.5;
• medium acidic - pH 4.6-5.0;
• slightly acidic - pH 5.1-5.5;
• are neutral - pH 5.6-6.9.

It is recommended to make soil liming after lowering the pH limit of 5.5.

What to do when acidity is high

Soil deacidification or liming is the only way to reduce the acidity of the soil to the desired level. It is important to make compounds that contain lime.

This technique will reduce the acid balance of the land for several years. If the soil is heavier, it will last longer, if the light is less. Practice shows that deactivation is carried out on peat sites once every three years, on sand sands once every five years, and on loamy ones once every seven years. Moreover, with an increase in the content of humus in the soil, it is possible to increase the content of lime.

The correct soil Ph should not exceed 5.5

When cultivating a vegetable garden or in the process of deep digging, once a couple of years it is necessary to add the bulk of lime in the form of powder, slaked lime or chalk. Then the procedure is repeated annually, but the concentration of the compositions will be much less.

When the acidity of the garden is uneven, liming the soil can be done zonally - only for those crops that need normal acidity very much. Most often it is solanaceous. If the crop rotation is observed, it will be necessary to process the entire land plot.

Liming for planting fruit trees should be done a couple of years before. If we are talking about the garden and planting of cultivated plants, then in the fall.

Any liming composition is scattered as evenly as possible over the section, and then dug up so that the substance is at a depth of 0.2 m from the surface. Moreover, the more uniform the location of the means for deoxidation, the better.

Liming of acidic soil

Application of hydrated lime on acidic soil

Slaked lime is considered an excellent deoxidizing agent. Undelayed in this situation is not suitable. Before applying the treatment of lime is extremely important to extinguish it with water. The amount of lime will depend on the acidity level of the soil in the garden. So:

• for very acidic soil will require 50-70 kg of fluff per one hundred square meters of land;
• for a medium acid soil - 40-45 kg;
• acid-free area needs 20-25 kg of composition.

Use of hydrated lime in the beds of

Using dolomite flour

Before you buy this tool you need to pay attention to the degree of ground flour. Practice shows that the smaller the fraction of the composition, the sooner the desired effect will occur.

The best option would be limestone flour, the moisture content of which does not exceed 1.5%, and 2/3 of the composition of the grains vary in size of 0.25 mm.

If you compare the effectiveness of dolomite flour and hydrated lime, then the first option, though it will come into play later, will be absolutely safe from an environmental point of view. Plus, in this case there will be a simultaneous enrichment of the land plot with magnesium, calcium and other useful trace elements.

The concentration of the drug per 1 square. The garden area for highly oxidized soil is 0.5-0.6 kg, for medium acid - 0.45-0.5 kg, and for slightly acid soil - 0.35-0.4 kg. This information is necessarily indicated on the packaging of dolomite flour by the manufacturer.

Use of dolomite flour for soil deoxidation

Folk remedy wood ash

Wood ash is an excellent opportunity to reduce soil acidity. But in this case, there is no replenishment of calcium deficiency in the soil, which certain cultures badly need. This is especially true of the nightshade family.

Calcium deficiency causes top rot, which soon spreads, affects tomatoes and peppers. That is why experts advise the use of ash exclusively in combination with other compounds or preparations.

Scattering of wood ash on acidic soil

When last year there was already a struggle with excess acidity, and this figure is uneven on the site, the ash is perfect. For re-deoxidation it can be used. In this case, per liter of water accounts for 0.2 kg of ash. This solution should be enough to handle 1 square.m of land.

When not peat, but peat ash is used, the concentration of the composition should be increased 1.5 times.

Chalk as a deoxidizer at the cottage

Chopped chalk refers to calcium-containing compounds, allowing to remove the acidity of the soil. It is important to note that the grains in diameter should not be more than one millimeter. Otherwise, the effect of liming will have to wait long.

For especially acid soils per 1 sq. Km.m is recommended to use about 0.3 kg of chalk, for medium acid - 0.2 kg, for weak acid - 0.1 kg.

After a uniform distribution of chalk over the site, it is digged up, so the substance decaying will change the composition of the soil.

Mixing the soil with chalk is a great way to reduce its acidity.

Using siderates to deoxidize

Specialist products can be found on the counters of stores that allow you to deoxidize the soil and at the same time fertilize it. Since they contain calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, boron, zinc, copper, manganese and other useful trace elements.

The main advantage of such products is their environmental safety and ground, which can not be doubted.

It is recommended to use preparations in late autumn or spring before digging, placing materials to a depth of 0.2 m. The reaction of the soil will become neutral in just a couple of years. In this case, after the distribution of green manure land is better to water.

Cultivation of siderats and subsequent digging together with them

Is it always necessary for soil to reduce acidity

It is not always necessary to deoxidize the soil. First of all, it is when the pH level is within the normal range. And secondly, when the cultivated plants planted on the site( for example, sorrel) prefer increased acidity. Of ornamental crops, this applies to rhododendrons, hydrangeas, ferns, silverweed, heathers, lupins, rhubarb, and even wild mint. As for most vegetables, they prefer a slightly acidic and neutral soil rich in beneficial trace elements.

A preparation for determining the acidity of the soil

However, everything good must be in moderation and the use of a large amount of lime fertilizer can lead to an excess of calcium in the soil. As a result, root growth is hampered, especially when the root system of a plant is already weak. Plus, even abundant watering and rain will not wash away the calcium.

And then the desire to improve the soil will only lead to the emergence of new problems. This means that the soil should not be greatly deoxidized every year, it is necessary to constantly check the pH level and only to make liming if necessary.

In the process of soil deoxidation, it is possible to simultaneously use several methods and means listed above, and they can even be grouped. It all depends on your wishes and the availability of available tools and materials. Difficulties in principle should not arise. The main thing is not to overdo it with the concentration of lime in the garden. Since their oversupply will adversely affect the cultivated plants that will grow there.