How to deoxidize the soil: tips for novice gardeners

Each plant grower, planting on the site any plant, be it a shrub, tree or vegetable crop, should examine the condition of the soil.

Since in one area different crops can grow completely differently - this directly depends not only on soil fertility, but also on acidity. A high level of acidity negatively affects the decay of various fertilizers and oxidizes the roots of plants, which in turn adversely affects the development of many crops.

And later in the article we will discuss how to reduce the acidity of the soil, what soil deoxidizers should be used, what are the norms and timing of their introduction.

Determine the level of acidity

The acidity of the soil is expressed by the pH level on a scale from 1 to 14. According to this indicator, the soil can be divided into 3 types:

• slightly acidic - pH ranges from 8 to 14;
• neutral - 7;
• sour - from 1 to 6.

It is best to determine this indicator under laboratory conditions, but if you do not have this possibility, you can check the acidity of the soil with the help of determinants, which can be purchased in special stores, or using folk methods.

Timing

Samples for acidity need to be taken twice a year from different places: before the start of the season and upon its completion, because it can vary greatly depending on what crops you grow.

Ways

The most effective way to check the pH level, of course, is a laboratory study, but not every gardener-amateur can afford such a procedure. But the acid of the soil can be determined by spending a minimum of money, or even free of charge.

The first low-budget method - This is a test of the soil with the help of litmus, or indicator, paper. For such a test, you need to prepare a special solution: mix one part of the soil and two parts of distilled water and let it brew for about 20 minutes.

After that, the indicator should be placed in a solution: if it turns red, then the earth is acidic (the brighter the color, the higher the pH level), if the paper has not changed color, then this reaction indicates low acidity, but if it has acquired green, then the earth is neutral.

Not many people know, but the amount of acid in the soil can be checked by paying attention to what kind of weed grows in your area.

If you have plentifully grow horsetail, plantain, veres, sorrel, sorrel, wild mustard, sedge, cornflowers, burnt, and if the mint planted grows quickly and turns into a weed, then all this means that the acidity level is high.

Different types of clover, convolvulus, coltsfoot, fescue, wheat grass grow well in the middle ground. If your site is located in a forested area or an area with high groundwater, marshy ground, then you have a uniquely high pH.

Very common way - This is a test using ordinary table vinegar. The procedure is very simple: take a handful of soil from your garden and drip a small amount of vinegar on it.

If small bubbles were formed, or the vinegar seemed to have boiled, this means that the soil is neutral or slightly acidic.If no reaction followed, then the soil is highly acidic. Another common popular method of determination is to use currant leaves. To do this, you will need about 5 leaves of currant pour 200 ml of hot water and let it brew for about 15 minutes.

After the infusion has cooled, a small amount of earth will need to be poured into it - if the water turns red, then the earth is acidic, if the water turns blue - the ground is neutral, and when the acidity is low, the decoction will turn greenish.

How to deoxidize the soil

The pH level depends on how much lime is in the soil. If it is small, then the earth becomes acidified: in this case, the acid level must be lowered, since most crops prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil.

As a rule, it is customary to deoxidize the soil in the garden in the fall, after harvesting, or in winter, but they also do this procedure in the spring, before the summer season, and the most common means that the earth is deoxidized are lime, chalk, wood ash, dolomite flour.

Lime

Lime, which you are going to make for deoxidation, must be necessarily hydrated, also known as fuzz. The use of burnt lime is prohibited. - This is due to the fact that it is going to lumps, and, applying it in such a state, you can cause a glut of lime, which is also extremely undesirable.

Fluff can be purchased at an agricultural store or do it yourself. To do this, you will need 100 kg of lime, pour 40-50 liters of water and mix.

Then, when the moisture is absorbed, and the lime dries, it must be well shaken to get a homogeneous powder mass - after that it can be used for fertilizer.

Lime should be used on fertile and nutritious, clay and loamy lands with a sufficient amount of magnesium.

Pusenka very quickly begins to act, which means that if you carried out fertilizer in the spring, it is best to grow fast-growing crops on this site - tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. The permissible rate of lime is from 0.6 to 0.7 kg per 1 m²: exceeding this rate may make it harder for crops to absorb phosphorus and potassium, and other elements will not dissolve in the soil.

Fertilizer should be applied evenly, and then carefully dig the site. If you fertilize in the fall, then digging up is not necessary, but still desirable.With fertilizer in winter, the powder is simply scattered on the surface.

Chalk

The use of chalk is much more effective than lime, because it contains the necessary calcium to plants. As in the case of fluff, only chalk in the form of powder without lumps is suitable for use, it is not necessary to extinguish it.

For clay and loamy soils, a permissible rate of 0.2–0.6 kg per 1 m² is considered: this amount is enough to not fertilize the site for about 3 years. For sandy and sandy areas the norm is 0.1-0.2 kg of chalk per 1 m².

Chalking the ground with chalk can be both in autumn and spring, evenly scattering the powder and digging the garden to a depth of about 25 cm. It is not recommended to carry out this procedure in winter, because the chalk is easily washed away with melt water.

Wood ash

The use of wood ash - a very common, but not the best way, because the ash does not compensate for the lack of calcium, which is very necessary in such vegetable crops as peppers, tomatoes, potatoes.

Due to the lack of calcium in plants, rot of stems, leaves and fruits develop. Ash is best suited as a complex fertilizer, because to use it as the main means for liming, you need a huge amount of it.

The norm for deoxidation is 0.6-0.7 kg per 1 m², which is approximately one three-liter jar. For the second procedure, which is carried out the following year, the norm is 0.2-0.3 kg per 1 m².

Dolomite flour

should be used mainly on light sandy and sandy soils, as they, as a rule, lack magnesium and flour restores it.

It is best used for liming the areas where potatoes, fruit bushes and other crops that grow slowly are grown. The norm of dolomite flour for sour soil is 0.5-0.6 kg per 1 m². The fertilizer procedure is no different from lime fertilizer.

Plants

In addition to the above methods, it is possible to deoxidize a plot in the spring with the help of plants. The most common plant of this type is phacelia.After planting such a perennial plant, the acidity level is significantly reduced.

But also this perennial is a good honey plant and has a beautiful appearance. A year after planting phacelia, its stems are cut and spread over the soil surface, which contributes to a decrease in the level of acidity.

Also, to lower the acid level, plants such as mustard, yellow and white clover can be planted, hornbeam, elm, birch, alder, pine can be planted - they can reduce acidity in a radius of about 10 meters around them and at a depth of about half a meter.

Is it always necessary to deoxidize?

Lime site is not always necessary. You can not do this procedure or do it very rarely - in cases if you grow a lot of potatoes, sorrel, pumpkin, tomatoes, radishes, turnips, sunflower, spinach, peas, beans and other legumes on your territory, because these crops can calmly grow with increased levels of acidity.

Acidic soil has a negative effect on most plants, because it develops a huge number of pathogenic bacteria, and in this regard, many have a question: how can it be deoxidized?

For this, the best option would be to use lime, chalk and dolomite flour. But it is very important to observe the dosage so that the earth does not become alkaline and does not harm your future harvest.