Applying agricultural lime or other alkaline materials to acidic ground raises its pH level to a more neutral state. This process makes locked-up nutrients available to plant roots and improves microbial activity in the dirt. Farmers test their fields regularly to calculate exactly how much lime is needed to counteract natural acidification from rainfall and fertilizers.
Heard on the job
We need to sweeten the back forty with a couple tons of lime before we plant alfalfa this spring.
Insider tip
Rookies often guess the lime requirement, but sweetening should only follow a proper soil test to avoid over-alkalizing the field.