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February has been a relatively dry month across Ireland and ground conditions are good for the time of year.
On the majority of farms, land is carrying machinery, so give thought to liming grass swards where soils are low in pH.
Lime is the cheapest fertiliser on the market and will do more to increase grass growth than any chemical product.
Where grass swards fall below pH 6, soil nutrients are locked up and unavailable to the plant. The lower pH drops, the worse this situation gets.
At pH 5.5, you could be looking at 50% of your fertiliser locked up. That means fertiliser purchased and applied this spring is twice as expensive.
Rate
Apply 1t to 2t/acre of lime to condition soil. It can take anywhere from two to six months for ground lime to correct soil pH.
Choose a product with fine particles and ask for an analysis of neutralising content. In contrast, granulated lime gives an instant pH, but will need topping up later in the season.
If slurry has been applied, leave at least one week before liming soils. With chemical fertiliser, CAN is safe to use with a similar interval from liming. However, avoid using urea this spring on paddocks that get lime.
Target fields that have poor growth, as well as paddocks that are likely to be reseeded later this year.
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