| 1. |
Lime applied at the correct rates is beneficial for all crops. |
| 2. |
All crops have their own optimum pH, grassland is 6.3, cereals 6.5 and
beans, peas and beet 7.0. |
| 3. |
Liming strategy must be to maintain soil at the desirable pH by frequent
applications of lime. The amount of lime to be applied must be determined by soil testing.
If liming is carried out in frequently to grassland apply lime to bring pH to 6.8. If
liming is applied at 4-5 year intervals maintain pH at 65. |
| 4. |
pH is useful as a diagnostic tool, i.e. to immediately identify if acidity
is the cause of poor growth. It cannot be used to determine lime requirement. The lime
required to change the pH can only be done by a lime requirement test. |
| 5. |
Trends derived from soil samples analysed at Johnstown Castle indicate
that lime requirement of grassland is increasing. This is reflected in the decline in
usage. In the light of nitrogen restrictions caused by REPS and reducing P usage this is
very undesirable. |
