Hi, please help!
Question:
Farmers added Calcium hydroxide to soil one morning. They then planned to add Ammonium chloride fertilisers to the soil immediately. However, the instruction label on the packet of fertilisers read: "Do not add fertiliser immediately after adding Calcium hydroxide to the soil".
1. Why did the farmers need to add Calcium hydroxide to the soil originally?
2. Why must the farmers not add the fertiliser immediately after adding the calcium hydroxide to the soil?
My answers:
1. They added the alkaline calcium hydroxide to neutralise the acidity of the soil due to acid rain.
2. Adding the fertiliser immediately would result in a chemical reaction, forming ammonia gas, water and a salt. Hence, the ammonia gas would escape into the air and nitrogen cannot be used by the plants.
Are my answers correct? Please do not give me links. I need to know if my answers are correct.
Yes, but delete the phrase "due to acid rain". Very few acid soils are due to acid rain.
Your answers are mostly correct!
1. The farmers added Calcium hydroxide to the soil originally to neutralize the acidity of the soil caused by acid rain. Calcium hydroxide is an alkaline substance that helps raise the pH level of the soil, making it more neutral and suitable for plant growth.
2. The instruction label on the packet of fertilizers states, "Do not add fertilize immediately after adding Calcium hydroxide to the soil" because adding the fertilizer immediately after Calcium hydroxide would result in a chemical reaction. This reaction would form ammonia gas, water, and a salt. Ammonia gas tends to escape into the air, and if that happens, the plants wouldn't be able to effectively utilize nitrogen from the fertilizer. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants, so it is important that it remains available in the soil for the plants to uptake.
So, to summarize, your answers are correct. Adding the fertilizer immediately after adding Calcium hydroxide to the soil can lead to the loss of ammonia gas, which reduces the availability of nitrogen for plant growth.