What is added to soil to raise pH?

What is added to soil to raise pH?

• A. Lime
• B. Sulfur
• C. Nitrogen
• D. Phosphorus

Answer: (B)

Raising soil pH means making the soil less acidic. The substance used to do this is lime. Lime, typically calcium carbonate, neutralizes acidity by reacting with hydrogen ions and with exchangeable aluminum on soil particles, and it adds calcium (and sometimes magnesium in dolomitic lime). As a result, the soil’s pH increases and the root zone becomes less acidic, improving the availability of many nutrients. Sulfur would do the opposite—it lowers pH by forming sulfuric acid in the soil. Nitrogen and phosphorus are plant nutrients and don’t function as liming agents to raise pH, though their application can influence soil chemistry in other ways. In practice, lime is added based on soil tests, and the rate and timing depend on soil texture and buffering capacity. It can take months to see the full pH change, so plan ahead. For many garden crops, a pH around 6.0–7.0 is ideal, though specific plants may prefer slightly different levels.

Raising soil pH means making the soil less acidic. The substance used to do this is lime. Lime, typically calcium carbonate, neutralizes acidity by reacting with hydrogen ions and with exchangeable aluminum on soil particles, and it adds calcium (and sometimes magnesium in dolomitic lime). As a result, the soil’s pH increases and the root zone becomes less acidic, improving the availability of many nutrients.

Sulfur would do the opposite—it lowers pH by forming sulfuric acid in the soil. Nitrogen and phosphorus are plant nutrients and don’t function as liming agents to raise pH, though their application can influence soil chemistry in other ways.

In practice, lime is added based on soil tests, and the rate and timing depend on soil texture and buffering capacity. It can take months to see the full pH change, so plan ahead. For many garden crops, a pH around 6.0–7.0 is ideal, though specific plants may prefer slightly different levels.