Soil acidity: optimal and excessive pH values. How to normalize the acid-base balance of the soil? What grows in alkaline soils

When selecting plants for landscaping, it is necessary to take into account many environmental factors of the territory - fertility, moisture and mechanical composition of the soil, lighting, groundwater level, etc. Along with these factors, soil acidity is also very important for the good growth and condition of plants.

In this article we will talk about alkaline soils and trees that can grow successfully in such conditions.

What soils are called alkaline?

Alkaline soils characterized by the presence of calcium salts (lime) and high pH values ​​of the soil solution. Based on the pH value, the following gradations of alkalinity of soil solutions are distinguished:

slightly alkaline - pH 7-8; medium alkaline - pH 8-8.5; highly alkaline - pH - 8.5 or more

It is possible to accurately determine the pH values ​​of a soil solution only in laboratory conditions, and approximately using litmus (indicator) paper - an aqueous solution of alkaline soil will turn standard indicator paper blue. The presence of lime in the soil can also be determined using vinegar: when it is applied to a lump of earth that contains lime, a reaction will occur - the earth will foam and hiss.

Limestone soils vary greatly - from stony loam lying on a layer of limestone to heavily clay soil. But all of them are alkaline soils, that is, they are saturated with alkali.

High alkalinity is unfavorable for the growth and development of most plants. Alkaline soils generally have low fertility, unfavorable physical properties and chemical composition. They are usually heavy, viscous, sticky, and waterproof when wet.

In Ukraine, alkaline soils are mainly located in the south in the steppe and forest-steppe parts and are confined to southern chernozems, chestnut and brown soils.

Improvement of alkaline soils

Alkaline soils, and especially solonetzes and highly saline soils, can be improved only by radical reclamation measures with the addition of calcium sulfate - gypsum. Calcium displaces absorbed sodium, as a result, solonetzic horizons become more structural and permeable to water, and, therefore, it is possible to remove salts from the lower horizons. In practice, waste from the phosphorus mining industry - phosphogypsum - is most often used. In addition to calcium sulfate, it contains impurities of sulfuric acid and fluorine. Acid is useful for neutralizing alkalinity. But the admixture of fluorine is dangerous due to toxicity. However, no direct evidence has been obtained that it comes from the soil into plants. The rate of application of gypsum on solonetze soils is about 0.5 kg/m2; on solonetz soils, 0.2 kg/m2 of gypsum or phosphogypsum is sufficient.

The process of reclamation of solonetzes is significantly accelerated by irrigation. In dry areas it is necessary.

Weakly alkaline soils in household plots are improved by shallow digging, applying increased doses of organic fertilizers and sowing green manure - alfalfa, mustard, etc.

Range of woody plants for alkaline soils

Most plants in the garden prefer soil with a neutral reaction or close to it with slight deviations in one direction or another).
Plants that prefer alkaline soils are called calciphiles.
The range of fruit and berry crops that can be successfully grown on alkaline soils is quite limited. But if the pH does not exceed 8, then these conditions are suitable for growing the following types of fruit crops: apricot, quince, pear, peach, cherry, dogwood, almond, walnut, mulberry, etc.

Highly alkaline (solonetzic) soils are extremely unfavorable for grapes and most fruit crops, the usual reaction of which is chlorosis (yellowing of leaves, poor shoot growth and dryness).

Many plants generally cannot tolerate a large percentage of lime, so plants that cannot tolerate this substance, for example: rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers and others, cannot be planted on alkaline soils.

A wide range of ornamental plants can be successfully grown on calcareous, alkaline soils. Their selection is quite large, so it is impossible to provide a complete list in a short article. Below are the most common and most unpretentious ornamental trees (species and their decorative forms - varieties), which are traditionally used in landscaping in Ukraine on alkaline soils, and also their short characteristics are given, namely their dimensions and basic decorative properties.

Deciduous trees for alkaline soils

Ailanthus altissima or Chinese ash

Tree 20-25 m high, with a slender cylindrical trunk covered with thin light gray bark; young trees with a wide pyramidal crown, old trees with a tent-shaped spreading crown. The crown is semi-open. The leaves are compound, odd-pinnate, palm-shaped (like those of pinnate palms), very large, up to 60 cm long, and in coppice specimens even up to 1 m. Leaves of 13-25 leaflets, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous, bluish below, 7-12 long cm, with 2-4 large blunt teeth at the base; When touched, the leaves emit an unpleasant odor.

The flowers are bisexual and staminate (male), small, yellowish-green in large panicles, 10-20 cm long. Male flowers have an unpleasant odor. The fruits are lionfish, 3-4 cm long, light reddish-brown in color.

Photophilous; It is unpretentious to soil conditions, grows on dry rocky, gravelly and sandy soils, tolerates fairly significant soil salinity, grows well even on salt marshes, but develops best on deep loamy, fairly moist soils.

Field maple - Acer campestre

Tree 12-15 meters high. The crown is oval, dense, the leaves are five-lobed, less often three-fingered. Very shade tolerant. Relatively drought-resistant, demanding soil richness.

Ash maple - Acer negundo

Tree 10-15 (18) meters in height. Decorative forms are often used in landscaping:

- "Odessanum"- a tree up to 9 m high with beautiful bright, lemon-yellow foliage. Leaf petioles are orange-yellowish.

- "Elegantissima"- most often a shrubby form (about 5 m tall), young leaves with a bright yellow border, lighter with age.

- "Flamingo"- often in standard form, about 5 m high. The leaves are covered with white-pink spots. When they bloom, they are creamy green in color, then they have soft pink and white stripes and a wide border of the same color, later the pink turns into white or pale green.

- "Variegatum"("Argenteo-variegatum") - a tree or shrub 5-7 m high. The leaves have an irregular wide stripe of cream color along the edge, pink when blooming.

Norway maple - Acer platanoides

Tree 18-25 m high. Both the species and its numerous varieties are used in landscaping:

- "Crimson King"(synonym "Schwedleri Nigrum"). The tree reaches 20 m in height. The leaves are a deep purple, almost black color throughout the season.

-"Drummondii". Tree up to 6-10 m (sometimes up to 12 m) in height. Leaves with a wide, uneven stripe of cream color.

- "Globosum" a small tree, often in standard form, 4-6 (7) m tall, 3-5 m wide, initially strictly spherical, later the crown gradually becomes flattened.

Spiny honey locust (three-spined, common) - Gleditsia triacanthos

Trees 8-15(20) m tall. They have an openwork crown, feathery leaves and beautiful fruits - beans. Very drought resistant.

Bignonioides catalpa, or common catalpa - Catalpa bignonioides

Tree up to 20 m tall. The crown is broadly oval, the leaves are large. Beautiful abundant flowering.

Cercis pod-bearing (European), or "Judas tree" - Cercis siliquastrum. It grows in the form of a tree (sometimes a shrub), up to 10 m tall, with a spreading, loose crown. It blooms beautifully in May, during flowering, all branches are completely covered with bunches of purple-pink flowers.

Prickly hawthorn (common)— Crataegus oxyacantha (laevigata). A large shrub up to 4 m high or a tree up to 5 m, with a thick, oval crown and thorny branches. The leaves are broadly ovate with 3-5 lobes. White flowers 5-10 in corymbs. Flowering duration is 10-12 days. Round fruits up to 1.2 cm in diameter, bright red to purple in color, with yellow flesh.

You can also use other types of hawthorns - Altai, blood-red, softish, cockspur, single-pistillate, etc.

Hawthorn prickly

Common ash - Fraxinus excelsior

Tree up to 30 m tall, with a wide oval, openwork crown. Grows quickly, light-loving. It has many forms used in landscaping. The most interesting of them:

- weeping (f. pendula)- a tree up to 8 m tall, with a dome-shaped crown and long branches hanging to the ground, very impressive when planted alone;

- yellow-leaved (f. aurea)- with yellow leaves, etc.

White mulberry, or mulberry - Morus alba

Tree up to 20 m tall, in unfavorable conditions - shrub. The crown is dense, spherical, spreading in old trees. The leaves are of various configurations and sizes, even on the same tree, from entire to lobed; in summer they are dark green, in autumn they are straw-yellow. The fruits are quite decorative - sweet, edible, of various colors. It has many decorative forms, of which the most spectacular are:

- weeping (f. pendula)- up to 5 m high, with thin branches drooping to the ground;

-dissected leaf (f. sceletoniana)- very elegant, with leaves divided into regular, narrow lobes, while the apical and two lateral lobes have strongly elongated ends;

- golden (f. aurea)- with golden yellow young shoots and leaves.

White mulberry "Weeping"

Oriental plane tree or Chinar - Platanus orientalis

A powerful tree up to 30-40 (50) m in height, has a powerful, wide-round, cylindrical, dome-shaped or spherical crown. Usually a single-trunk tree, less often with several trunks with a common base. The bark is very original, smooth, greenish-gray on the branches; on young trunks it is gray, peeling off in large plates; on old ones it is dark gray, with deep cracks. The leaves are large (15 - 18 cm), alternate, palmately lobed. Grows quickly, withstands temperatures down to -25°C,

Oriental plane tree

Black poplar or Osokor - Populus nigra

A large tree, up to 30 m high, with a powerful, wide, branched crown. The leaves are rhombic or triangular, with a long thin point at the apex, dark green above and somewhat lighter below, finely blunt-toothed along the edge, fragrant. It is undemanding to soil conditions and can grow on dry and relatively poor soils. It grows very quickly in rich and humid conditions. Winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Gas and smoke resistant.

Also tolerates the presence of lime in the soil: Simon's poplar, or Chinese - R. simonii;. Poplar Bolle - R. bolleana; Pyramid poplar - P. pyramidalis.

Downy or staghorn sumac (Vinegar tree) - Rhus typhina (Rhus hirta)

Tree 10-12 m high or large shrub. It has a beautiful, decorative, openwork crown, thick, fluffy, light brown shoots, reminiscent of deer antlers. Large, up to 50 cm long, odd-pinnate leaves with an amazing velvety surface, consist of 11-31 leaflets, long-pointed at the top and coarsely toothed along the edge, matte dark green above, whitish-gray below. In autumn the leaves are pale orange to deep burgundy. During the period of fruit ripening, spherical drupes covered with red bristly pubescence greatly decorate the plants, often until spring.

Japanese Sophora - Sophora japonica

A slender, deciduous tree up to 25 m tall, with a beautiful, dense, spherical crown up to 20 m in diameter. The leaves are large, up to 25 cm long, imparipinnate, consisting of 7-17 ovate or lanceolate-oblong leaflets, dense, dark green, shiny above and bluish below. The flowers are yellowish or greenish-white, in large paniculate inflorescences. Beans up to 10 cm, clearly visible, sharply constricted, amber-yellow when ripe. Photophilous. Very drought-resistant, undemanding to soil, resistant to smoke and gases.

Sumac fluffy	Sophora japonica

Downy oak - Quercus pubescens

A tree up to 8-10 m high, with a low, twisting trunk and a wide crown, sometimes growing as a shrub. Young shoots are heavily pubescent. Leaves are 5-10 cm long, very variable in shape and size, with 4-8 pairs of blunt or pointed lobes, dark green above, glabrous, gray-green below, pubescent. It grows slowly, is light- and heat-loving, and drought-resistant.

English oak - Quercus robur

A long-lasting, very powerful tree up to 50 m tall, with single plantings in open areas - with a short trunk and a wide, spreading, low-set crown. The leaves are alternate, leathery, oblong, obovate, up to 15 cm long, with an elongated apex and 3-7 pairs of blunt, lateral lobes of unequal length. Acorns up to 3.5 cm, 1/5 covered with plus, ripen in early autumn. Despite the fact that it prefers deep, fertile, fresh soils, it can grow in any soil, including dry and saline ones. It has high drought and heat resistance. One of the most durable Ukrainian aboriginal breeds. Such characteristics make it indispensable in green construction.

Robinia pseudoacacia or white acacia - Robinia pseudoacacia

Deciduous tree up to 30 m tall, with a translucent, spreading, openwork crown, consisting of separate tiers. The shoots are bare, greenish-gray or red-brown, spiny. The leaves are alternate, odd-pinnate, with 7-19 leaflets, obovate or elliptical in shape. In spring they are green, silky-pubescent, in summer they are dark green, sometimes yellowish, bluish below, naked; in autumn - dark green. The flowers are white or slightly pinkish, fragrant, in drooping racemes up to 20 cm long. The fruit is a brown, flat, linear-oblong bean 5-12 cm long. White locust has a wide variety of decorative forms. The following are most often used in landscaping: pyramidal (f. stricta), umbrella (f. umbraculifera), golden (f. aurea), dissected (f. dissecta).

Robinia pseudoacacia

Willow pear - Pyrus salicifolia

A low tree up to 8-10 m, the crown is broadly ovate. Young shoots with white-tomentose drooping. The leaves are narrowly lanceolate up to 8 cm, with a width of 1 cm; young ones are silvery, later slightly shiny, dark green above and whitish-fluffy below. The flowers are up to 2 cm in diameter, white, collected in corymbose inflorescences. The fruits are small, up to 2 cm, with a short stalk. Drought-resistant, undemanding to the soil, even tolerates salinity and compaction. Smoke and gas resistant.

Pear tree - Pyrus elaeagnifolia

Tree up to 10 m tall. The crown is wide, openwork, with prickly, felt-pubescent shoots. Lanceolate leaves up to 9 cm long, silvery on both sides, gray-tomentose, very reminiscent of oleaster leaves, which is why the species got its name. The flowers are white with a pink tint, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, very impressive during flowering against the background of silvery leaves. Fruits are up to 2 cm in diameter. The plant is not demanding on soil richness, can grow on rocky, infertile soils, is drought-resistant, and light-loving. Winter hardiness is quite high, withstands temperatures down to -20-25 ° C.

Elm pinnately branched or Elm (Berest) pinnately branched - Ulmus pinnato-ramosa

Tree up to 15 m tall, with an openwork crown, spreading in youth and oval in mature trees; with thin, flexible, grayish-pubescent, drooping branches. The leaves are elliptical, small, smooth, sometimes symmetrical, coarsely toothed, dark green, turning yellow in autumn. The flowers and lionfish are small, in bunches. Photophilous, drought-resistant.

Squat or small-leaved elm - Ulmus pumila

A small tree up to 15 m tall, or a shrub with a dense, rounded crown and thin branches. Young shoots are pubescent. Small elliptical leaves up to 2-7 cm long, leathery, slightly unequal, with an acute short apex and a simply or double-toothed edge, smooth, pubescent when young. In spring the leaves are green, lighter underneath; in summer - dark green; in autumn - olive-yellow. The flowers are collected in small bunches. Lionfish are yellow-brown or ocher. Light-loving, drought-resistant, tolerates city conditions well.

Rekovets Petr, dendrologist,
Chairman of the Board
Kyiv Landscape Club

Soil acidity is an important agrochemical parameter that characterizes the suitability of the substrate for growing certain crops. Beginning gardeners often make the mistake of adjusting the pH throughout the entire plot, when it is necessary to create optimal conditions for each plant individually. Let's consider the connection between acidity levels and soil fertility and crop yields.

Regardless of soil acidity levels, the entire planet is covered in vegetation - to each his own

Soil acidity and pH indicators

Soil acidity or pH is a biochemical indicator that characterizes its ability to exhibit (neutralize) the properties of acids. During the exchange of hydrogen ions with soil minerals and organic matter, acids and bases (alkalis) are formed in the fertile layer. pH indicates their balance in the soil solution; it is designated by numbers from 1 to 14. The lower the pH number, the more acidic the environment. What determines soil acidity?

The determining factor is the original material from which the soils are formed: on sandstone, granite - more acidic, on limestone - alkaline.

A gradual increase in acidity occurs in regions with frequent heavy rainfall. Moisture, accumulating in the soil, washes minerals and salts from the root layer.

Leaching may be caused by intensive watering with low pH (acidic) water.

Acidification occurs when excessive application of plant residues, organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil.

Poor air permeability of the soil contributes to an increase in acidity. If organic matter decomposes without access to oxygen, organic acids and carbon dioxide released as a result of a chemical reaction remain in the soil.

Interesting! In the Russian Federation, approximately a third of agricultural land is acidic and requires regular liming. This is most of the soddy-podzolic, soddy and gray forest soils of the middle zone and Siberia. In Western Europe there are almost 60% of such lands.

Let's consider the optimal soil acidity indicators for plants, and below in the table we specify them in the context of garden and vegetable crops.

The most acceptable acidity level for most cultivated plants is in the range from 5.5 to 7.5 - these are slightly acidic (5-6), neutral (6.5-7) and slightly alkaline (7-8) soils. A pH below 5 means a medium to strongly acidic reaction, above 8 means an alkaline reaction. An acid-base balance above 9 indicates that we have saline-carbonate soils or even saline soils.

Optimal acidity range for common horticultural crops

Harm from excess acidity and alkalinity

Soil acidification negatively affects its fertility and negatively affects the growing season of most plants.

Due to the strong concentration of organic acids in the cells, protein metabolism is disrupted, root development slows down, and their gradual death occurs.

Excessive acidity inhibits the movement of phosphorus into the above-ground part of the plant, which provokes phosphorus starvation.

In an acidic environment, the availability of nutrients, especially phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, decreases. But the concentration of iron, aluminum, boron, and zinc reaches a level that is toxic to the roots.

Unlike neutral soil, increased acidity of the soil inhibits the activity of beneficial microorganisms that enrich the fertile layer with nitrogen. At the same time, it provokes the growth of pathogenic microflora (fungi, viruses, pathogenic bacteria).

An excessively alkaline environment (pH>7.5–8) is no less destructive for plants. In it, most of the microelements necessary for growth (phosphorus, iron, manganese, boron, magnesium) turn into insoluble hydroxides and become unavailable for nutrition.

Signs of acidic soil

You can determine the acidity level of the soil on a site by external signs, using a special device or laboratory tests.

Signs of acidic soil on the site.

After rains, the water standing in the depressions takes on a rusty hue, a dark yellow sediment forms in it, and a rainbow film forms on the surface.

After the snow melts, a whitish or gray-green coating is noticeable on the surface.

Immediately below the fertile layer lies a podzolic horizon with a thickness of 10 cm. It can be identified by characteristic whitish spots similar to ash.

A relatively reliable indicator of acidity is wild flora. Weed plants characteristic of acidic soil are woodlice, horsetail, ranunculus, plantain, horse sorrel. Overgrown wheatgrass, sow thistle, and chamomile indicate a slightly acidic reaction.

Signs of an alkaline environment

The alkaline nature of the soil is determined by sodium salts, so the process of increasing alkalinity is also called salinization. One of the main reasons for the increase in pH above 8 is intensive irrigation in arid regions, as a result of which it floats, does not allow air to pass through well, and its porosity deteriorates.

Alkaline soil is more difficult to identify by external signs.

Among the weeds, they are preferred by field bindweed (birch), quinoa, and field mustard (colts).

Chlorosis (yellowing) of leaves often appears on garden plants and trees. This occurs due to a lack of iron, which becomes unavailable in alkaline bases.

Note! If nettles, clover, and quinoa grow happily on your site, you are in luck. This is evidence of a neutral pH reaction optimal for agriculture.

Optimal acidity for different groups of plants

Before adjusting the pH level, it is important to understand which plants like acidic and slightly acidic soil, and select a list of crops for which the acid-base balance needs to be brought to neutral. There is a group of plants that prefer an alkaline environment.

Acidic soils

In acidic and strongly acidic soil (pH<5) обычные микроорганизмы развиваются плохо, зато хорошо разрастаются микроскопические грибки. В процессе эволюции ряд растений образовали прочный симбиоз с ними. Грибница, проникая в корни растений, выступает проводником органических веществ и минералов. В свою очередь корневая система растений изменилась настолько, что получать питание другим способом уже не может.

The group of plants for acidic soil includes:

coniferous trees and shrubs;

heathers, rhododendrons, azaleas;

forsythia;

rowan, aralia;

lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries.

In order to choose the right substrate, lovers of decorative gardening need to know which flowers like acidic and slightly acidic soil, including indoor ones.

Garden flowers include lily of the valley, ranunculus, viola, camellia, and lupine.

Indoor crops include gardenia, monstera, cycas, ferns, fuchsia. They prefer a slightly acidic environment - begonia, asparagus, violet, pelargonium, ficus.

Subacid

Soils with a pH level in the range of 5–6 units are considered slightly acidic. Plants adapted to growing in such an environment are sensitive to a lack of magnesium and iron. Increasing the acid-base balance to neutral parameters leads to the fact that crops cease to absorb these elements. Their leaves turn yellow (chlorosis), and the flowering time is sharply reduced.

Low acidity of the soil is optimal for potatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower, tomatoes, and radishes.

Flowering plants in this group include irises, primroses, lilies, roses, and gladioli.

The acidity of the soil for berry crops - strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries - should be within these limits.

Neutral

Mineral components are well absorbed from a substrate with a pH level of 6–7 units. Soil bacteria develop in it, which in the process of life enrich the soil with nitrogen in an accessible form. This environment is resistant to fungal infections.

Neutral and slightly alkaline soils love root vegetables (beets, carrots, celery), cabbage, and onions.

Note! For legumes (peas, beans, asparagus, alfalfa), neutral soil acidity is not only desirable, but vitally important. On the roots they form nodules - bacteriosis (symbiosis of roots with bacteria), due to which they absorb atmospheric nitrogen. In an acidic environment (pH<6) бактерии не живут.

Slightly alkaline

A slightly alkaline environment has an acidity level of 7–8 units. For most cultures this is already a lot.

A slightly alkaline (but not higher!) indicator is suitable for growing fruit trees - apricot, quince, walnut, mulberry, peach.

Some deciduous plants grow well on alkaline soils - acacia, catalpa, Norway maple, hawthorn, plane tree, Japanese sophora.

Regulate soil acidity using lime (lower) and gypsum (increase) materials. But this should not be done completely, but taking into account the needs of the plant, individually, adjusting the substrate in the zone of action of the root system.

Plants that indicate soil acidity:

The composition of the soil largely determines the normal vegetation of plants throughout the season and a bountiful harvest in the fall. The ratio of acidic and alkaline components is especially important. Depending on the pH value, all soils are divided into three large groups: alkaline, neutral and acidic. For the vast majority of crops, areas with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction are most preferable. Unfortunately, reality does not always correspond to the wishes of gardeners, who often have to take additional measures to achieve the required level of acidity. In particular, in overly alkaline or overly acidic areas, plant growth and development are significantly slowed down due to poor absorption of nutrients. In this regard, it is necessary to regularly carry out liming activities on the site.

Signs of acidic soils

Before you begin to carry out alkalization activities, you should make sure that the soil on your site has a pH level below 6.5. How to do it? There are several methods, both scientific and folk.

• The most accurate acid-base balance of your site can be determined by sending soil samples from different points to a special laboratory. But such analysis costs money and is not always available.
• You can set up a mini-laboratory right at home. To do this, you need to purchase a kit to determine the level of soil acidity and carry out testing according to the attached instructions.
• Another home option is to buy special litmus paper and prepare a soil solution by mixing 20 grams of soil in 50 grams of water. Dip the indicator strip into the solution. If it acquires a reddish tint, then the soil reaction is acidic, and if it turns green, it is neutral. Blue color indicates an alkaline reaction.
• If you have just acquired a plot of virgin land for use, it is easy to determine the acidity by the plants covering it. On acidic soils, horsetail, coltsfoot, sedge and sorrel predominate.
• There are other home remedies for testing. Prepare an infusion of equal parts of currant and bird cherry leaves. A pinch of acidic soil dropped into this composition will turn it pink: the more intense the shade, the lower the pH value. You can approximately determine the acidity level by observing the color of the beet tops. On alkaline and neutral soils, the leaves of this crop become green, but the redder they are, the lower the pH value.

How to change the acid-base balance

Too acidic soils inhibit plant development. This happens due to excess iron, manganese and aluminum, which tend to accumulate, and also because acidification prevents beneficial microorganisms and worms from multiplying. Therefore, in soils with a low pH value, it is difficult for fruit, berry and vegetable crops to absorb calcium and magnesium.

To increase the fertility of acidic soils, they are regularly limed with slaked lime, dolomite flour, crushed chalk, wood ash and other materials. The frequency of treatment, depending on the mechanical composition of the soil, varies from 3–4 years for sandy soils, to 5–6 years for clays and loams.

As a result of liming, the nutritional value of soils increases and plants begin to better absorb substances useful for growth: nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, molybdenum and magnesium. For liming to work properly, some prerequisites must be met:

• Alkalinization activities should be carried out regularly. The interval depends on the mechanical composition of the soil.
• When applying lime fertilizers, you need to pay attention to the presence of such an important element as magnesium. It is the optimal balance of calcium and magnesium that is the key to the successful development of plants after liming the soil, since in the absence of the latter the positive effect of lime will be neutralized. If the fertilizer does not contain magnesium, then it must be added additionally.
• The effectiveness of liming is significantly increased by organic and mineral fertilizers. Manure, potassium and boron fertilizers, as well as superphosphate will be especially useful.
• It should be noted that only acidic soils with a pH below 5.5 need liming, but on slightly acidic and neutral soils the effect of such measures will be very weak. In addition, liming is necessary to improve the health of soils after their technogenic pollution, even if, according to other indicators, they are quite suitable for growing plants and obtaining a good harvest.
• The dose of lime always depends on two main indicators: pH level and soil structure. The more acidic the soil, the more fertilizer is required, but at the same pH value, heavy loams and clays need more CaCO3. At a pH below 4.5, for light soils the dose of fertilizer should be 8–9 kg per hundred square meters, and for heavy soils – 9–12 kg, and at a pH of about 5 – already half as much.
• A single application of a full dose of CaCO3 works most effectively. However, if necessary, you can divide the total amount into several doses, adding at least half the first time.
• The timing of liming coincides with the autumn or spring digging of the soil. The effectiveness of the event increases with the simultaneous application of mineral fertilizers and organic matter, and you should always start with CaCO3.
• It is better to use crumbly (without lumps) fertilizer, and carry out activities in calm and dry weather.

Medium acid soil is suitable for strawberries, gooseberries, potatoes,... To acidify the soil, add rotted pine needles or pine and alder sawdust as fertilizer.

Needles, sawdust and bark can be used as mulch. Fresh sawdust pulls nitrogen from the soil. If you decide to use them, add nitrogenous fertilizers to the plants so as not to deplete the soil. Spent tea and coffee are also used as mulch. They not only retain moisture and fertilize the soil, but also protect plants from slugs.

Add oxalic or citric acid (2 tablespoons per bucket of water) and apple or wine vinegar (100 g per bucket) to the water for irrigation. You can acidify the water with sulfuric acid or new, unused battery electrolyte. It must be borne in mind that the concentration of sulfuric acid included in the electrolyte depends on its density. Colloidal sulfur can also be used as an oxidizing agent.

In slightly acidic soils with a pH of 6, it is advisable to grow beans, dill, tomato, eggplant, corn, melon, zucchini, horseradish, spinach, radishes and rhubarb. Potatoes, peppers, sorrel, beans, and pumpkins can grow in moderately acidic soils with a pH of 5 to 6. All vegetable crops grow poorly in soils with a pH below 5.

The development of plants on acidic soils is defective, since nutrients are in an inaccessible form. In soils with high acidity, pathogenic bacteria and pests actively multiply. Soil-forming bacteria are practically absent in such soils.

Several methods can be used to determine soil acidity. The most accessible method is to use litmus paper according to the instructions. If possible, you can order a soil analysis from an agrochemical laboratory.

If it is not possible to carry out an analysis or in a laboratory, you can determine an approximate indicator of soil acidity based on the weeds growing on the site. On strongly acidic soils they prefer to grow horsetail, fireweed, plantain, horse sorrel, and oxalis. Creeping wheatgrass, clover, coltsfoot, and dog violet grow on medium and slightly acidic soils.

How to independently determine the type of soil on your site, and what to do with it so that it pleases you with good fertility.

Land question: why do we need to be able to determine the type of soil on which we want to get excellent yields?

The type of soil on the site worries many beginning gardeners. This question is also asked by those who have recently purchased a new plot of land and are faced with the problem of choosing fertilizers.

Very often, gardeners come across advice like “if you have acidic soil, then...”, but how do you find out what kind it is?

And here we see a real Chinese script, collected from chemical formulas, PH level indicators and incomprehensible definitions.

What does acidic, normal and alkaline soil mean?
If you measure the PH of the soil in a special laboratory, then acidic soil will have a value from 4 to 5. Alkaline soil will have a value from 7 and above, and normal soil - from 5 to 7. Moreover, in some sources, a value from 5 to 6 is called slightly acidic, and from 6 to 7 – slightly alkaline. But they are favorable for the growth of cultivated plants, so they can be combined into “normal” types of soil.

Accordingly, special substances (fertilizers) are added to acidic and alkaline soil for normalization. But what if you don’t have the opportunity to take a soil sample to the laboratory? Then focus on indirect signs that will help you determine the type of soil on your plot of land or use strips to determine PH.

Determining acidity in plants
By plants we mean wild herbs, affectionately called weeds by gardeners. For example, increased acidity of the soil is indicated by: horsetail, heather, wild rosemary, sedge, fern, plantain. Indicators of slightly acidic soils are: clover, coltsfoot, and nettle. Slightly alkaline - sedge and bindweed. Alkaline soil is favorable for field mustard, poppy and quinoa.

PH strips
If you purchase strips for determining PH, you can find out a more or less accurate indicator without laboratories. To do this, take 10 grams of earth and dilute it in 30 ml of water. As soon as a precipitate forms, place the strip. The color will indicate the PH level (what color, what it means, is indicated in the instructions).

Acidic soil
Excessive soil acidity leads to poor development of cultivated plants. The reason is a violation of nitrogen nutrition. This means that plants do not receive minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Even if they are theoretically present there, the acidity prevents them from being released to feed the plants. The second disadvantage of acidic soils is unfavorable microflora, which allows fungi and other pathogenic microorganisms to quickly spread.

Normalization of acidic soil
It is better to apply the listed fertilizers and microelements in the fall, at the time when you are digging up the soil and preparing the area for winter.

So, this will help you:

Liming;

Adding magnesium;

Planting plants of the legume family - they slightly normalize the soil index;

Fertilizer with dolmite flour;

Fertilizer with chalk and wood ash.

Alkaline soil
Alkaline soil has low magnesium and iron content. Due to the lack of these substances, plants often experience early yellowing of foliage, deformed fruits, and often the death of the majority of the crop.

Normalization of alkaline soil
Alkaline soil needs to be “acidified.” On the territory of Russia, most often there are deviations towards an acidic environment, but there are exceptions. To normalize the alkaline environment use:

Fertilizers with an acidic reaction - potassium, sulfur, ammonium;

Organic fertilizers - rotted oak leaves, pine needles;

Rotten sawdust;

Addition of iron chelate.

The last point relates not so much to correcting the pH of the environment, but to replenishing the iron deficiency from which all alkaline soils suffer.

Mechanical composition
In addition to the acidity level, it is important to know another indicator - the mechanical composition.

The main types are light, heavy and loamy.

1. Light soils are rich in sand and have an “airy texture.” If you try to mold something from such soil, you will not succeed; it literally crumbles in your hands.
Their disadvantage is that they do not retain water well enough, thereby depriving the plants of some nutrients. Positive properties - they warm up quickly and have good gas exchange.

What to do?

The main task is to make light soil more dense and moisture-absorbing. To do this, it is necessary to add clay mass. Even swamp mud will do. Humus and compost also compact the soil well.

2. Heavy soils are better enriched with nutrients, have high density and moisture capacity. But this also has its disadvantages: stagnation of water after rain (which means waterlogging of crops), slow decomposition of organic matter (which means there is a possibility of nutritional deficiency).

What to do?

The task is the opposite - to loosen. Sawdust and sand will work well with it. Green manures with a developed root system, for example, cereals, will also have a beneficial effect on soil looseness.

As for loamy soils, they represent a conditional norm and do not require additional actions to loosen and compact. However, this does not mean that it does not need other fertilizers. What are the characteristics of such soil? If you try to roll a sausage out of a handful of soil, it will roll (unlike “light”), but when rolled into a ring it will crack and fall apart (unlike “heavy”).

Approach gardening work wisely and knowledgeably, and you will certainly have a good harvest! published If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project.