This article explains the different ways agricultural lime can be used when farming. Agricultural lime has many uses, ranging from soil conditioning and the neutralisation of acid soils for crops to killing parasites or retarding weed growth in grassland. Read on to find out more.

Kill weeds

In grassland, agricultural lime can be used as a soil conditioner to kill off weed seeds and improve the ground's fertility for pastures or growing root crops, such as turnips. It can be spread on land before the grass is cut for hay or silage so that it will neutralise the acidity in the plants, which will turn the grass yellow. After harvesting hay or silage, it can also be used to kill off any remaining weed seeds in the field before sowing a new crop of grass seed.

Kill parasites

Parasites live in soil, feeding off nutrients and plant roots. In some soils, they can cause a lot of damage to crops by 'grazing' on them as they grow or burrowing into their roots. Agricultural lime kills parasites by increasing the pH level in the soil -- this means that it becomes less acidic. The lime also changes the structure of the soil, making it harder for parasites to survive. It's a good idea to use agricultural lime if you have a problem with parasites in your soil, but remember that it will take several months before they are all killed off and you can begin growing plants again. You can apply agricultural lime to the land you want to become a grass sward, such as hay or silage, and the parasites will be killed off by the time you cut it.

Increase soil fertility

When soil is acidic, it becomes less fertile as it cannot absorb nutrients efficiently -- this means that crops grow more slowly and produce less healthy leaves, stems and roots. For example, potassium is a nutrient which plant roots need to grow healthy and strong. Agricultural lime can improve potassium availability, as it helps plants absorb this nutrient from the ground. If you have soil that is too acidic for growing crops, you can use agricultural lime to balance the pH levels. However, it usually takes a few months for this process of 'liming' to take place before you start to see an improvement in your crop growth.

For more information, you should contact an agricultural lime supplier today. A member of staff will be happy to help you.