Soil test shows low pH, very acidic. Crops not responding to fertiliser. How to correct.
How to manage acidic soil in tea and other crops?
BBipul Gogoi11mo ago · 339 views
6 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓11mo ago
Acidic soil with low pH locks up nutrients and aluminium toxicity hurts roots, so liming is the standard correction for most crops. Apply agricultural lime or dolomite based on a soil test, since the dose depends on the soil pH and texture and must be calculated, not guessed. Spread it evenly and mix into the top soil a few weeks before sowing so it has time to react, and add organic matter and FYM which buffer acidity and improve the soil. Note that tea actually prefers a moderately acidic soil, so do not over lime tea land, while crops like pulses and vegetables need correction toward neutral. Get the exact lime requirement from a soil testing lab or KVK and recheck pH after a season.
NNabin Saikia11mo ago
I applied dolomite as per soil test on my vegetable plot and the next crop responded much better to the same fertiliser. The pH was the real problem.
PPranjal Bora10mo ago
Important point, do not lime your tea heavily. Tea likes acidic soil. I made that mistake once and the bushes suffered.
JJadav Hazarika10mo ago
Timing matters. Apply the lime well before sowing, not at sowing, so it gets a few weeks with moisture to act. I mix it after the first ploughing and let it settle, then sow.
DDiganta Bhuyan10mo ago
Along with lime I started adding compost and ploughing in green manure every year. The organic matter slowly buffers the acidity so I do not have to lime as heavily each time.
TTarun Gohain10mo ago
Do not expect one application to fix it forever. Our soil drifts back acidic over a few years with the rain we get here, so I retest every two seasons and top up lime only as the lab report says. Recheck the pH, do not keep dumping lime blindly.