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Magnesium and acid soil
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Posted by
eric99_2010 NE England (
My Page) on
Tue, Dec 14, 10 at 11:56
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Hi guys, can you tell me why magnesium can become deficient in acid soils.
cheers Eric99_2010 |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| The more leached soils of the East tend to be acidic. Often they need calcium...but also likely magnesium too. Those two elements are rather related , but magnesium tends to get neglected. The human body needs about a 5 to 2 calcium to magnesium ratio. Many lime additions have been calcium only. Usually if lime addition is needed, it would be wise to use dolomitic limestone at least part of the time. Dolomitic limestone is rich in magnesium besides calcium. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Magnesium can become depleted in soils for the same reasons many other nutrients would become depleted, plants use it, it gets washed out of soil. Plants need Magnesium to properly utilize Calcium as well as many other nutrients, but it should be in balance with Calcium. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Eric, the way I understand it is that acidity is the natural result of the loss of calcium and magnesium. And often, like where I live, that is the result of lots of good, old-fashioned rain. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Cheers for your responses, it has got me a little further along the way, the thing is still not altogether clear to me though. For instance why doesn't an alkaline soil lose as much magnesium as an acidic soil ?? |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Whether a soil tests low or high on the pH scale depends on the number of free radical Hydrogen ions floating around in the soil. Both Calcium and Magnesium help tie those up so a loss of either allows more of those Hydrogen ions to float around hence a lower pH, or acidic, soil condition. The more of those free radical Hydrogen ions you tie up the higher your soils pH, or the more alkaline your soil is. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Some parts of the planet have soils that are derived from eroded limestone, and these soils have so much calcium and magnesium that they rarely require any supplementation. The calcium and magnesium comes from seawater, that was metabolized by ancient marine life, and formed into shells. Here in southern Wisconsin, our local soil has a pH of 7.6, and it's high in both calcium and magnesium. We have two subsoil layers of limestone, and our tap water is full of dissolved limestone. In the northeast region of the USA, the soils are derived from eroded granite, and the levels of calcium and magnesium are lower. Parts of the western USA have been covered with thick layers of volcanic ash, and the soil has more sulfur, which lowers pH, over time. Since rainfall is relatively pure water, it tends to leach soluble minerals, that is, these minerals are slowly driven down lower into the subsoil. That's why we don't have excess sodium chloride in our soil, here in Wisconsin. The land was once a seabed, and when the sea receded, the muck must have been full of salt, but its mostly gone. If you drill down deep enough, there is still saltwater to be found. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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| Cheers kimmsr, thats made it much clearer, I am going to pull out my periodic table now methinks. Re Ericwi, thats a very interesting bit of chem/geology. |
RE: Magnesium and acid soil
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.,USA (My Page) on
Mon, Dec 20, 10 at 15:08
| You need 20 elements to have good growing soil plus HUMUS, lots of humus. You need a soil test every 3 year or so. It cost, but less then wrong supplement & no growth in the garden. Azomite is a good supplement, but soil test for all 20 elements is best, first. |
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