Growing plants taking into account soil acidity
If you work endlessly on your site, carefully look after your plants, and they do not want to please you with the beauty of flowering and productivity, there is a way out - find out if the soil acidity suits them.
Content
- Acidity Overview video
- What affects the acidity of the soil
- Soil acidity level for different plants
- Acidity is not constant
- Acid Reduction Methods video
Acidity Overview
Soil acidity is measured by pH:
neutral soil - pH \u003d 7.0,
if below 7.0 - the soil is acidic,
and above - alkaline.
If possible, analysis of the soil for acidity is done in the agrochemical laboratory using a pH meter, when determining the soil acidity in a summer cottage, a simple pH meter with a scale of 4 to 8 is enough.
The simplest method for determining acidity is with the help of litmus papers, instructions for their use, which is applied, will tell you how to do this.
But even without any analysis, the increased acidity of the soil can be judged by flourishing weeds, which acid soil is only good.
Such plants include indicator plants - horse sorrel, field horsetail, bindweed and others.
What affects the acidity of the soil
The acidity of the soil affects the absorption of nutrients by plants, since aluminum is abundant in very acidic soils, it interferes with access to the roots of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium, and on alkaline soils, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and boron are inaccessible to plants.
The state of plant roots and their ability to absorb water from the soil directly depends on the pH of the soil, with increased acidity, the growth of roots slows down, they become thick, rough and work poorly.
The acidity of the soil affects the activity of microorganisms useful for plants, for example: nitrogen-fixing bacteria can absorb nitrogen from the air and transmit it to plants only with a slightly acid reaction.
And lastly, toxic substances are present in any soil in the form of insoluble compounds, but in a strongly acidic or strongly alkaline environment, these toxins begin to dissolve, are quickly absorbed by plants, leading to their death.
Soil acidity level for different plants
Each type of plant has its own soil requirements, primarily its acidity.
Plants such as: blueberries, cranberries, rhododendron, heather, Erica and hydrangea love acidic soils and bloom and bear fruit best at pH from 4.0 to 5.0.
Watermelon, potatoes, pine, juniper, lily and phlox develop well at pH from 5.0 to 6.0.
Apple trees, strawberries, tomatoes, white cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, posternak, rhubarb, cloves, iris and rose - love soil with pH 5.5-7.0.
At pH 6.0–7.0, lettuce, onions, legumes, pumpkin, spinach, beets, lawn grasses, decorative herbaceous perennials and summers develop well.
Plants such as clematis, peony, delphinium and cauliflower belong to a small group of plants that prefer slightly alkaline soil with a pH from 7.0 to 7.8.
But most ornamental, fruit and vegetable plants, for good growth and development, love slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
Acidity is not constant
Over time, the reaction of any soil changes, as a result of heavy and frequent precipitation, all water-soluble substances from the fertile soil layer, whose thickness is from 15 to 20 cm, are washed out, thereby gradually starting to replace magnesium and calcium important for the plant, the content of hydrogen and aluminum increases, as a result, the acidity of the soil increases.
Only in places where rain is very rare, acidification of the soil does not occur.
In addition, the soil reaction also changes as a result of the introduction of a large number of mineral fertilizers - this also increases the acidity of the soil.
Sod-podzolic soil, the most common in central Russia, usually has an acid reaction.
Chernozem is slightly acidic or neutral.
Acid Reduction Methods
To reduce the acidity of the soil, apply calcareous materials. Their use improves the water and air regime of the soil itself, changes the reaction of the environment, as a result of all this, the plant begins to absorb well the nutrients necessary for them.
In addition, calcareous materials are valuable, in and of themselves, and as a fertilizer, as they supply plants with calcium important to them, and some calcareous materials also provide magnesium.
Lime materials include: lime and dolomite flour, slaked and quicklime, in addition, ground marl, peat moss (this is low-lying peat enriched with lime) and lime and peat ash are used as lime fertilizers.
Dolomite and limestone flour are long-acting materials: they are able to deoxidize the soil for several years, slowly dissolving and acting gradually, so they do not need to be applied every year, so the soil is calcified once every 3-5 years.
It is desirable to introduce calcareous materials into the soil in the fall, they will work the better, the more carefully they are mixed with the soil of the fertile layer.
The finer the grinding of flour, the better, since the calcium in its composition neutralizes unwanted acidity faster. After 2-3 years, the maximum effect of applying lime fertilizers is achieved.
At the summer cottage, soil acidity can be reduced by adding wood ash.
In ordinary wood ash, in addition to calcium and magnesium, contains almost everything necessary for plants, nutrients, except nitrogen.
To reduce acidity, to increase the pH value by one unit for sandy soil, limestone or dolomite flour is required from 1.5 to 2.5 kg. per 10 square meters, wood ash needs 2 kg. on 10 square meters.
Sandy loam soil requires limestone or dolomite flour from 2.5 to 3.5 kg. per 10 meters square, wood ash 3 kg. on 10 square meters.
Loamy soil requires flour of 3.5-5.0 kg. per 10 square meters, ash 3.5 kg. on 10 square meters.
Clay soil requires limestone or dolomite flour from 3.5 to 4.0 kg. per 10 meters square, wood ash 3.5 kg. on 10 square meters.
It is necessary to solve the problem of liming the soil based on the acidity of the earth and taking into account the need for cultivated crops.
