Description
Trucal granular limestone has been carefully crushed and screened to produce a consistent and finely granulated product with excellent spreading ability and efficacy. Trucal contains 99% calcium carbonate and can be used to adjust soil pH to improve nutrient availability and soil structure.
Overtime the acidity of soils can increase; for example, through the acidifying effects of rainfall and the use of fertilisers. As soil acidity increases, plant health can suffer as nutrients become less available. To counter this effect, Trucal is able to naturally neutralise soil acidity by reducing the amount of acidifying free hydrogen ions. Some species do prefer more acidic conditions (e.g. potatoes, hydrangeas etc), but the majority of edible and ornamental plants will benefit from applications of Trucal to increase soil pH. In general, a pH of around 6.5 suits most garden plants.
Trucal has a high neutralising value of 55.6% and a fine granulation meaning that it will get working to neutralise soil acidity faster than more coarsely ground liming products.
Product Summary Table
| Granule Size (mm) | Bag Size (kg) | Trucal Requirement (kg/m²) | Bag Coverage (m²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6 - 1.2 | 25 | 0.5 - 8 | 250 - 12.5 |
Application Recommendations
Where to use:
- Ornamental garden plants: Any plants that are not intend for consumption, including plants grown in private gardens
- Edible crops: Any plants that are intended for consumption
- Amenity vegetation: Any areas of semi natural or ornamental vegetation, including trees
- Managed amenity turf: Areas of frequently mown intensively managed turf, including:
- Fields being used for turf production
- All types of sports turf
- Ornamental turf
When to use:
Trucal should ideally be incorporated into the soil up to six months prior to seeding to give time for the neutralisation process to occur. On established turfgrass and borders, Trucal can be applied at any time of the year but is most effective when applied in the autumn.
| Usage calendar | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
How to use:
- Use a laboratory recommended liming requirement, or estimate the amount of Trucal needed by using the table below as a guide.
| Guide to Trucal requirement* to raise soil pH to 6.5 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting pH | Sandy - Silt loams | Clay loams & clay | Organic soils (< 25% OM) | Peaty soils (>25% OM) | ||||
| Kg/m² | t/ha | Kg/m² | t/ha | Kg/m² | t/ha | Kg/m² | t/ha | |
| pH 4.5 | 5.8 | 58 | 7.2 | 72 | 6.5 | 65 | 4.3 | 43 |
| pH 5.0 | 2.8 | 28 | 3.2 | 32 | 2.8 | 28 | 1.6 | 16 |
| pH 5.5 | 0.6 | 6 | 0.7 | 7 | 0.4 | 4 | - | - |
- Trucal requirement depends on the current and target pH as well as the soil type
- *Individual applications should be limited to:
- 0.50 kg/m² for turf and areas where soil incorporation is not possible
- 1.00 kg/m² for all other areas
- Apply annually or biannually until the requirement is met
- For larger areas use a broadcast spreader to help to achieve even application of Trucal
- On non-turfed areas or prior to seeding, incorporate Trucal into the top 15-20 cm of soil
- On established turf and borders broadcast onto a dry surface
- If no rain is forecast, irrigate with 25 mm water to wash the Trucal off the plants and into the soil
For advice or further information on Trucal, speak to a technical sales advisor on 01952 897917.