Lime is mixed with the soil to enrich it with calcium and to lessen the soil’s acidity. The soil’s degree of acidity is determined through a soil chemical analysis.
Lime for farming is ground limestone, spread over the field before plowing.
The application of lime must be one month before the application of other fertilizers. This is because it is not good to mix lime with ammonia – it will cause nitrogen to disappear into air. If lime is mixed with phosphate, this will not dissolve and so will not be of any advantage to the
Nutrients in the soil get depleted gradually, so it is necessary to replenish these with fertilizers. Natural fertilizers can be made without expenses, and their use give no harm to the environment.
As farm wastes decompose, the carbon and oxygen that mix together cause the wastes to heat up. Thus, six(6) part of straw and grasses(which are rich in carbon) are mixed with one(1) part nitrogen-rich materials like ipil-ipil, hagonoy, chicken manure and the like.
1. Make the soil firm, and dig a trench around for excess water to flow into.
2. Stack up about six(6) inches high: grass; do not compress.
3. Put over the grass about 1-2 inches thick of animal manure. Urea or ammonium sulfate, about 1-2 kilos may also be used if available.
4. Put one-inch thick of rich soil mixed with wood ashes, lime over the pile.
5. Repeat the process over the pile until about 1 1/2 meters high.
6. Water the pile to make it moist.
7. Thrust a pipe(s) or bamboo pole(s) with holes to allow air to penetrate the bottom of the pile.
8. After three weeks, turn the compost over with the aid of a garden fork. This is easily done by transferring into another pile so that the bottom layer will now be on top, etc.
9. Turn the compost again bottom up after 5 weeks. Wait for 4 weeks more to allow complete composting.
10. In hot weather, the compost must be watered. In rainy days, cover the compost with banana leaves.
11. The pile of compost will be hot. This means that the bacteria in it are working.
12. Composting can also be hastened with a chemical for this purpose.
1.Planting Legumes: Plant mongo, soybeans, ipil-ipil, or similar legumes in areas where other plants are growing. After harvesting the fruits of these legumes, their roots leave nutrients in the soil that will benefit the next crop to be planted in their place, such as rice, corn, sugar cane, pineapple or the like. The plants to be grown in this place must be rotated as some plants use more of certain soil nutrients than others do. In this way, a rotation of different crops will be using the nutrients to the best advantage. Continue reading “Other Means of Fertilizing the Soil”