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Can
over-liming
be dangerous
to the
land?
Over use of lime can be dangerous and may create a lot of problems in the soil. |
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Nutrient Imbalance
Applying too much lime to the soil can lock up trace elements. When over-liming occurs the pH is lifted to a level that becomes too alkaline. By applying the correct amount of GRAN - LIME to achieve optimum pH, with a ‘little and often’ approach, all the nutrients are made available. The opposite of this is a situation where the pH goes too high i.e. 7.0+, resulting in vital trace elements becoming locked up. Consequently, the roots don't take up enough nutrients that ultimately may contribute to trace element deficiencies in animals. |
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Root Crops
Over liming can also have an adverse effect on root crops such as beet, turnips and swedes. Again, similar to grassland, the important trace elements are not made available to the root system because of over-liming and the crop may suffer from lack of plant nutrients such as B (Boron), Fe (Iron) and Mn (Manganese). |
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High Molybdenum (Mo)
In areas that are high in Mo (Molybdenum) it is dangerous to apply lime. There are many areas throughout Ireland that are high in Mo. Applying too much lime to high Mo soil and dramatically raising the pH makes more Mo available to the plant. As a consequence too much Mo is made available to stock and may induce copper deficiency. Land with high levels of Mo should not rise above a pH of 6.0. In such a situation with a low pH, GRAN - LIME can be used as it is a very controlled way of liming, i.e. it allows you to maintain the optimum balanced pH for your soil with the ‘little and often’ approach.Clover contains a significantly higher level of Mo than grass. High rates of N (Nitrogen) will tend to discourage clover and therefore reduce the risk of problems caused by high molybdenum. |
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| GRAN - LIME Programmes |
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Use GRAN - LIME at the beginning of each growing season to maintain optimum pH of between 6 and 6.5 and therefore get full benefits from fertiliser application. |
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For
tillage,
use
appropriate
rate
of
GRAN
- LIME
to
suit
the
crop
rotation
and
history
of
cropping.
Give
priority
to
lime-sensitive
crops
within
the
rotation
such
as
sugar
beet,
peas,
beans,
wheat
and
barley. |
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Best results are achieved by spreading GRAN - LIME at the time of reseeding grass so that it can aid the decomposition of the previous sward, which can cause acidity. |
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For min-till systems and for vegetable production, GRAN - LIME’s ‘little and often’ approach is required because of emphasis on soil structure, aeration and available calcium. |
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Surface acidity (within the top 5cm) often occurs in grassland due to high rainfall and the use of nitrogenous fertiliser. This reduces the availability of fertiliser phosphorus. For this reason it is better to apply ‘little and often’ rather than one large application at irregular intervals. |
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| Peat Soils
The optimum pH for grass growth on peat soil is not as high as it is for normal mineral soils. This is because peat soils do not contain the toxic elements that are present in clay soils.
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