EFFECTS OF LIME
FREEING LATENT FOOD SUPPLY The very great value of lime as a fertiliser is the way it frees other plant foods. There are tons of these foods in every a<cre that are not in a form that the plants can use. and the application of lime means a freeing of good amounts of these as a rule, provided there is not enough lime' there in the first place. It frees potash directly when it is in certain combinations. ‘ It, makes it much easier for the plants to get at the phosphates. It has such a big attraction tor phosphoric acid applied as superphosphate or otherwise that the phosphoric acid joins with it instead of with iron or aluminium, which it joins whdre there is not enough lime around, and when the phosphoric acid joins with either of these substances the plants nearly lose it for good. Therefore. of lime means a moderate loss only of superphosphate when this is used as a fertiliser and it means a good use of the- phosphates already in the soil-
Likewise it is of”a big benefit to nitrogen all the way along. At the > pry start alfalfa clovers, and the other Iceumes will hardly grow if plenty of lime is not present and even when they do grow thev take up as little nitrogen as possible from the air. Lots of lime means a fine growth and lots of nitrogen taken from the air. Then after the nitrogen is in tli<» soil the lime helps to prepare it for plant use. II helps it. turn rapidly info ammonia and thence into nitrates. Il helps good bacteria along and almost universally its action is good, verv good and onlv goqd. 'Lake H peat soil that lias lots of nitro (
gen. and all peat soils have lots of this (‘loment, and little lime, then add lime and the nitrogen at once starts getting ready for plant use. Truly, if lime in itself is not specially useful as a plant food its cheapness, concentration and general good effect on the other plant food makes it a substance of value beyond compare for application to the soil that needs it.
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Bibliographic details
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 424, 15 November 1930, Page 22 (Supplement)
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365EFFECTS OF LIME Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 424, 15 November 1930, Page 22 (Supplement)
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