Soil acidity is a major limitation to the productivity of our soils, as it reduces the availability of major soil nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), along with the uptake and efficiency of applied nutrients in manures or fertilisers.
In an era of falling N allowances, both directly or indirectly, farmers need to use all tools available to them in optimising soil pH. Liming should be the first tool out of the box. Liming acidic soils releases N supplies in the soil worth up to €80, boosting spring growth in particular and increasing grass production by c.1.0t DM/ha, on average.
An application of 5t/ha of ground limestone to correct soil pH represents a cost of €25/ha/year over five years. The return on investment from lime gives €4 to €7 worth extra grass for every €1 invested.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Free” phosphorus is another benefit of correcting soil acidity; lime is effective at increasing the availability of stored soil P (from previous fertiliser and manure applications) and freshly applied fertiliser P. This makes lime essential for farmers struggling with P allowances.
Applying lime is an easy win.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
Soil acidity is a major limitation to the productivity of our soils, as it reduces the availability of major soil nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), along with the uptake and efficiency of applied nutrients in manures or fertilisers.
In an era of falling N allowances, both directly or indirectly, farmers need to use all tools available to them in optimising soil pH. Liming should be the first tool out of the box. Liming acidic soils releases N supplies in the soil worth up to €80, boosting spring growth in particular and increasing grass production by c.1.0t DM/ha, on average.
An application of 5t/ha of ground limestone to correct soil pH represents a cost of €25/ha/year over five years. The return on investment from lime gives €4 to €7 worth extra grass for every €1 invested.
“Free” phosphorus is another benefit of correcting soil acidity; lime is effective at increasing the availability of stored soil P (from previous fertiliser and manure applications) and freshly applied fertiliser P. This makes lime essential for farmers struggling with P allowances.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS