Each plant grower, planting on the site any plant, be it a shrub, tree or vegetable crop, should examine the condition of the soil.
Since different crops can grow absolutely differently in one area, this directly depends not only on soil fertility, but also on acidity. A high level of acidity negatively affects the decay of various fertilizers and oxidizes the roots of plants, which in turn adversely affects the development of many crops.
And later in the article we will discuss how to reduce the acidity of the soil, what soil deoxidizers should be used, what are the norms and terms of their introduction.
Determine the level of acidity
The acidity of the soil is expressed by the pH level on a scale from 1 to 14. According to this indicator, the soil can be divided into 3 types:
- slightly acidic - pH ranges from 8 to 14;
- neutral - 7;
- sour - from 1 to 6.
It is best to determine this indicator under laboratory conditions, but if you do not have such an opportunity, you can check the acidity of the soil with the help of determinants, which can be purchased in special stores, or using folk methods. 
Did you know? The level of acid can be checked and beets, which grows on the site. If the tops of a plant are red - the ground is highly acidic, if the tops are green with reddish veins - the ground is slightly acidic, but if the tops are pure green, then the ground is neutral.
Timing
Samples for acidity need to be taken twice a year from different places: before the start of the season and upon its completion, because it can vary greatly depending on what crops you grow.
Ways
The most effective way to check the pH level, of course, is a laboratory study, but not every gardener-amateur can afford such a procedure. But the acid of the soil can be determined by spending a minimum of money, or even free of charge.
The first low-budget method - This is a test of the soil with the help of litmus, or indicator, paper. For such a test, you need to prepare a special solution: mix one part of the soil and two parts of distilled water and let it brew for about 20 minutes.
After that, the indicator should be placed in a solution: if it turns red, then the earth is acidic (the brighter the color, the higher the pH level), if the paper has not changed color, then this reaction indicates low acidity, but if it has acquired green, then the earth is neutral.
Important! For the test, you need to take several samples from different places and depths. As a rule, soil is taken from a depth of 20 cm and 50 cm. There is no need to take samples from the surface, since the pH level there may be lower than at depth.
Not many people know, but the amount of acid in the soil can be checked by paying attention to what kind of weed grass grows in your area.
If you have plentifully grow horsetail, plantain, veres, sorrel, sorrel, wild mustard, sedge, cornflowers, burnt, and also if the mint planted grows quickly and turns into a weed, then all this means that the acidity level is high.
Different types of clover, convolvulus, coltsfoot, fescue, wheat grass grow well in the middle ground. If your site is located in a forested area or an area with high groundwater, marshy ground, then you have a uniquely high pH.
Very common way - This is a test using ordinary table vinegar. The procedure is very simple: take a handful of soil from your garden and drip a small amount of vinegar on it.
If small bubbles were formed, or the vinegar seemed to boil, this means that the soil is neutral or slightly acidic. If no reaction followed, then the soil is highly acidic. 
Another common popular method of determination is to use currant leaves. To do this, you will need about 5 leaves of currant pour 200 ml of hot water and let it brew for about 15 minutes.
After the infusion has cooled, a small amount of earth will need to be poured into it - if the water turns red, then the earth is acidic, if the water turns blue - the ground is neutral, and when the acidity is low, the decoction will become greenish.
How to deoxidize the soil
The pH level depends on how much lime is in the soil. If it is not enough, then the earth becomes acidified: in this case, the acid level must be lowered, since most crops prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil.
As a rule, it is customary to deoxidize the soil in the garden in the fall, after harvesting, or in winter, but they also do this procedure in the spring, before the summer season, and the most common means that soil is deoxidized are lime, chalk, wood ash, dolomite flour. Lime
Lime, which you are going to make for deoxidation, must necessarily be slaked, also known as fuzz. The use of quicklime is prohibited. - This is due to the fact that it is going to lumps, and, applying it in this state, you can cause a glut of lime, which is also extremely undesirable.
Fluff can be purchased at an agricultural store or do it yourself. To do this, you will need 100 kg of lime, pour 40-50 liters of water and mix.
Then, when the moisture is absorbed, and the lime dries, it must be well shaken to obtain a homogeneous powder mass - after that it can be used for fertilizer.
Lime should be used on fertile and nutritious, clay and loamy lands with a sufficient amount of magnesium.
Pusenka very quickly begins to act, which means that if you carried out fertilizer in the spring, it is best to grow fast-growing crops on this site - tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, etc. 
The permissible rate of lime is from 0.6 to 0.7 kg per 1 m²: exceeding this rate may make it harder for crops to absorb phosphorus and potassium, and other elements will not dissolve in the soil.
Fertilizer should be applied evenly, and then carefully dig up the area. If you fertilize in the fall, then digging up is not necessary, but still desirable. With fertilizer in winter, the powder is simply scattered on the surface.
Important! Slaked lime is strictly forbidden to make along with manure, because as a result of this combination produces a huge amount of nitrogen, which only harm crops.
Chalk
The use of chalk is much more effective than lime, because it contains the calcium necessary for plants. As in the case of fluff, only chalk in the form of powder without lumps is suitable for use, it is not necessary to extinguish it.
For clay and loamy soils, a permissible rate of 0.2–0.6 kg per 1 m² is considered: this amount is enough not to fertilize the plot for about 3 years. For sandy and sandy areas the norm is 0.1-0.2 kg of chalk per 1 m².
Chalking the ground with chalk can be both in autumn and spring, evenly scattering the powder and digging the garden to a depth of about 25 cm. It is not recommended to carry out this procedure in the winter, because the chalk is easily washed away with melt water. 
Wood ash
The use of wood ash - a very common, but not the best way, because the ash does not compensate for the lack of calcium, which is very necessary in such vegetable crops as peppers, tomatoes, potatoes.
Due to the lack of calcium in plants, rot of stems, leaves and fruits develop. Ash is best suited as a complex fertilizer, because to use it as the main means of liming, you need a huge amount of it.
The norm for deoxidation is 0.6-0.7 kg per 1 m², which is approximately one three-liter jar. For the second procedure, which is carried out the following year, the norm is 0.2-0.3 kg per 1 m². 
Dolomite flour
should be used mainly on light sandy and sandy soils, as they, as a rule, do not have enough magnesium, and the flour restores it.
It is best used for liming areas where potatoes, fruit bushes and other crops that grow slowly are grown. The norm of dolomite flour for sour soil is 0.5-0.6 kg per 1 m². The fertilizer procedure is no different from lime fertilizer.
Did you know? The increased acidity level reduces the access of crops to useful trace elements and increases the amount of toxins, as well as worsens the structure of the soil.
Plants
In addition to the above methods, it is possible to deoxidize a plot in the spring with the help of plants. The most common plant of this type is phacelia. After planting such a perennial plant, the acidity level is significantly reduced.
But also this perennial is a good honey plant and has a beautiful appearance. A year after planting phacelia, its stems are cut and spread over the soil surface, which contributes to a decrease in the level of acidity.
Also, to lower the acid level, plants such as mustard, yellow and white tributaries can be planted, hornbeam, elm, birch, alder, pine can be planted - they can reduce acidity in a radius of about 10 m around them and at a depth of about half a meter. 
Is it always necessary to deoxidize?
Lime site is not always necessary. You can not do this procedure or do it very rarely - in cases if you grow a lot of potatoes, sorrel, pumpkin, tomatoes, radishes, turnips, sunflower, spinach, peas, beans and other legumes on your territory, because these crops can calmly grow with high levels of acidity.
Acidic soil has a negative effect on most plants, because it develops a huge number of pathogenic bacteria, and in this regard, many have a question: how to deoxidize it?
For this, the best option would be to use lime, chalk and dolomite flour. But it is very important to observe the dosage so that the earth does not become alkaline and does not harm your future harvest.
