- Agricultural lime
Agricultural lime, also called garden lime, is a
soil additive made from pulverizedlimestone orchalk . The primary active component iscalcium carbonate . Additional chemicals vary depending on themineral source and may includecalcium oxide ,magnesium oxide andmagnesium carbonate .Effects on soil:
* it increases thepH ofacid icsoil (the higher the pH the less acidic the soil)
* it provides a source ofcalcium for plants
* it permits improved water penetration foracid ic soilsLime may occur naturally in some soils but may require addition of
sulfuric acid for its agricultural benefits to be realized.Gypsum is also used to supply calcium for plant nutrition.Other forms of lime have common applications in agriculture and gardening, including
dolomitic lime andhydrated lime . Dolomitic lime may be used as a soil input to provide similar effects as agricultural lime, while supplyingmagnesium in addition to calcium. In livestock farming, hydrated lime can be used as adisinfectant measure, producing a dry andalkaline environment in whichbacteria do not readily multiply. In horticultural farming it can be used as an insect repellant, without causing harm to the pest or plant.Spinner style lime spreaders are generally used to spread agricultural lime on fields. Several companies such as
Stoltzfus Spreaders manufacture spreaders for this purpose.External links
*gutenberg|no=25389|name=Right Use of Lime in Soil Improvement Transcription of 1919 text by Alva Agee.
See also
*
Marl
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