LIME AND PLANTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 June 1938, Page 5

LIME AND PLANTS

LIKES AND DISLIKES. Soils rich in lime, though well adapted to the cultivation of many forms of plant life, are not suitable to others. It is not always necessary to add sufficient lime to completely neutralise soil acidity, as many garden plants grow well in slightly acid conditions. With but a few exceptions the numerous kinds of plants included in the Heather family, Ericaceae, and the closely related Vacciniums, are quite unsuited for soils in which lime is present in appreciable quantities. Other popular plants disliking lime are rhododendrons, azaleas,-kalmia, andromedea, most ferns and bog plants, or-

chids of such groups as cypripedium and orchid types. Magnolias will not tolerate much lime, nor Stenanthium, coreopsis, Dicentra (commonly known as Bleeding Heart) and liatris. It is usually well known that sorrel does not thrive on a well-limed soil, and infestation of this weed is an indication of the acidity of the soil. Most of the liliums have an antipathy to lime, except perhaps candidum and testaceum, which relish a moderate quantity. Most vegetables appreciate lime, except potatoes. The application of lime for this crop usually results in predisposing the tubers to scab. On the other hand, there are families of plants that are at their best on lime soil. Many of the trees and shrubs of the rose family, Rosaceae, give excellent results. Lilacs, clematis, philadelphus, lavender, the family of dianthus, which includes all the pinks and carnations, simply revel in plenty of lime. Coniferous trees, for the most part, prefer an acid soil. Though they may grow and live for many years, they do not reach their best dimensions in lime soil. Junipers on the other hand, will thrive on a lime soil. In a case of trees, a great deal depends on the depths of soil, for invariably the best trees are found where there is a good depth of soil. Where lime is present in the soil in large quantities, it does no good to remove soil from beds and replace with lime-free soil for the lime-haters. The constant drainage from the surrounding soil will, in the course of a few years, bring in sufficient lime to make the soil distasteful to these fastidious plants.