A touch of lime.

Byline: Paul Rogers 

COLUMN: Your gardening answers

Would you care to hear of an easy project that would do your landscape a world of good? This is a simple, inexpensive task that will vastly improve the quality of your soil. Actually, the job is too easy. It is often underrated.

What is this paragon of all good growing things? Limestone is its name. For a host of reasons, some that were known for hundreds of years and others recently learned, an application of ground limestone can benefit your soil more than any other single operation that you can perform.

Use it in the ground, granulated or pelletized form. Basically, they are all similar in the job that they do. The major difference is in the delivery system. Neither the granular nor the pelletized forms make the mess of the flyaway fine particles of ground limestone. However, ground limestone is the least expensive type and begins to work within 36 hours.

Use lime this fall even if you had spread it last spring. Our soils need lime and our plants do also. Limestone (calcium) modifies acid chemicals, neutralizes toxic aluminum and makes available essential plant growth elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

For little cost and effort, your soil and your plants gain great benefits. Apply lime anytime and everywhere.