Uist Soil & Nutrient Network: 1st meeting – event summary

This was the 1st meeting of the Uist Soil & Nutrient Network Farm so it started with an introduction to the farm and the Soil & Nutrient Network.

This was followed by a presentation on soil analysis, its use and how to interpret the results. Gavin Elrick, SAC consulting then discussed the importance of liming in improving the productivity of croft land. He then went on to discuss the role and requirements of the key nutrients for grassland.

The meeting concluded with a look at soil texture, structure, and drainage out in the field where soil pits had been dug.

The key take-home messages from the event were :

1. Soil testing is a crucial step in managing healthy soil. It will provide details of soil pH, and the status of major nutrients. If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it!
2. pH is typically the main limiting factor and should be addressed before any other deficiencies in the soil.
3. The majority of crops on Uist are grown on the machair land. The calcareous soil has a very high pH and is usually found to be low in P and K. Fertiliser should be targeted to replace nutrient offtake as the soil tends to leach or lock up over applied nutrients.
4. The majority of reseeds carried out during the IDP now require rejuvenation as the pH and nutrient levels have dropped considerably below target in many cases.
5. Deep compaction is unlikely to be an issue in Uist, however, surface compaction caused by livestock is potentially an issue. Using an aerator on this will help to boost productive an eliminate compaction, care should be taken however not to aerate soil which isn’t compacted as this has proven to have a detrimental effect on the yield of the following grass crop.
6. Adequate drainage is vital in maximising the productivity of croft land. The installation of drainage should, however, be focussed on the better land where gains are more likely to offset the investment required. Drainage can be as simple as cleaning open ditches and maintaining outfalls, to the installation of a full drainage system.

Please use the links below to download information that is relevant to the topics discussed during the event.