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Old 14-05-2003, 11:20 PM
Aaron Baugher
 
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Default burning leaves in garden

"Dave Allyn" (Dave Allyn) writes:

I guess that is some of my confusion. I have always heard Leaves will
make your soil (or compost) acidic. I had thought that Lime was
alkiline and would therefore combat the acid from the leaves... then,
I had someone tell me that lime is neutral, and would remove acid or
alki. Now it sounds like lime is acid....


what does lime do??


Lime and ashes both raise pH, reducing acidity. I think people get
confused because lime the fruit is very acidic, while lime the crushed
stone is just the opposite. It used to confuse me, anyway.

Lime (calcium carbonate) also adds calcium, which could be beneficial
to calcium rich plants like tomatoes and broccoli. Ashes add
potassium and phosphorus, two other important nutrients. (Most
commercial fertilizers are a mixture of nitrogen, potassium, and
phosphorus.) So ideally, you'd want to apply both, or get a soil test
and see which one would be more beneficial for your soil.

Soil generally becomes more acidic over time, especially when nitrogen
fertilizers, including manure and green mulch, are used. So you're
much more likely to need to raise the pH of your soil than lower it.

If you plan to grow acid-loving plants like potatoes, you may want to
leave a section of the garden un-limed or -ashed, so those plants can
have the acid soil they prefer.


--
Aaron