With the costs of fertilizer rising, any strategy to reduce the cost of fertilizer is welcome. Its a well known fact that plant roots exude acids which decrease the bioavailability of minerals resulting in the need to input more fertilizer. Liming will reduce this by neutralising the acids.
Whilst talking about fertilizers, their cost and saving money I think it's time more people switched to using organic manure. Composting is very easy and compost can also be the solution to acidic soil. If you know the soil in your garden has turned slightly acidic, just keep applying compost and after a while that problem will have been solved.
Apart from the use of lime being detrimental to the environment - bearing in mind that - its primary use is to adjust the pH in very acidic soils - so that plant roots can absorb the necessary nutrients they need and therefore its generally not advisable to use it without first checking the pH of the soil you are planning to use it on - particularly as - excess lime can make the soil so alkaline that no plants will grow in it. I too would agree that the best strategy for reducing the high cost - as well as the need for chemical fertilizer - would be to switch to organic gardening and make use of what mother nature has given us for free - by recycling organic composts and mulches back into the soil. Especially as - not only does conditioning the soil annually with decomposed organic matter - result in healthy fertile soil that doesn't require any additional fertilizers - chemical or otherwise - but as plants grown in healthy fertile soil don't generally attract much in the way of pests or diseases - the savings would be way greater - simply because - in an organic environment where everything is in balance - there isn't in reality any need to buy either fertilizer or pesticide. Oh and I would just add - that a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way of adjusting the pH in acidic soils would be to add a light dressing of wood-ash - preferably in the fall - when incorporating the yearly dressing of organic material into the soil.
I always put some coffee grounds and egg shells in my garden. The egg shells help add some calcium to the soil and the coffee grounds always boost the growth of my plants. I also bury banana peels under my roses and they love it! They start to bloom like crazy a week after the peel is planted. It saves me tons on fertilizer.
Yes, Steph my grandparents were farmers and they composted all of their organic materials, coffee grounds, eggs, potato peels and just about everything. It added rich organic elements to the soil. I have a compost bin..I need to check it though...I have been afraid to put too many items like eggs shells and the like in there..I am thinking it might attract the local varmints. I am going to have to read about that..before deciding to do it. I don't want to find a raccoon in my compost lol. The bin is closed, but those critters are smart!
