Thanks for the input
Need a water soluble soil acidifier
Does anyone know of a soil acidifier that is water soluble and organic? I have alkaline soil and alkaline well water and I'd like to find something I can mix in the water that won't harm my existing plants if I use it over and over. The goal is to make the water slightly acidic and use as a soil drench each time I water to keep the pH where I want it. I know aluminum sulfate will dissolve in water but I don't like the idea of accumulating aluminum in my soil, and I prefer something organic if possible.
Thanks for the input
Thanks for the input
Elemental sulphur is organic. I don't know how dissolvable it is. My soil is very alkaline and elemental sulphur powder tilled into the soil does the trick. Soil tends to return to its natural state relatively quickly so I am not sure a water drench will do much good unless you are pretty close to your desired pH already. I soil test every two years to get the recommended amount of sulphur applied. My soil tests at 8.4 to 8.6 pH untreated and drops to 7.9 and stays there for a couple of years.
Sulfur prills are used to decrease pH. pH is ultimately changed by the soil microbes and is not a quick process. There is wettable sulfur but it is used as a fungicide and miticide but it is not usually used to to change pH. Vinegar is acidic. It will change the soil pH but in sufficient amounts it will also kill plants since it is used as an organic weed killer that works by making the soil too acidic for the weeds to thrive.
The native soil will always try to revert to its normal state, it will be an ongoing process to try to keep the pH corrected. Another way to make the soil acidic would be with pine fines and peat moss that has not been pH adjusted. It will stablilize the soil faster for a longer time. It is not always good to change the soil environment too quickly, the soil microbes that are dominant in alkaline conditions are not the same as the ones that are dominant in acidic conditions. Soil biology is very complex and changing it too fast may lead to other problems.
The native soil will always try to revert to its normal state, it will be an ongoing process to try to keep the pH corrected. Another way to make the soil acidic would be with pine fines and peat moss that has not been pH adjusted. It will stablilize the soil faster for a longer time. It is not always good to change the soil environment too quickly, the soil microbes that are dominant in alkaline conditions are not the same as the ones that are dominant in acidic conditions. Soil biology is very complex and changing it too fast may lead to other problems.
Thanks for the responses everyone,
I've heard the elemental sulfur suggestion a few times now and I've decided to follow that advice and apply some this fall, hoping for a lower pH when the next growing season starts. I've tested in several locations and overall the soil isn't terrible, ranging from a neutral 7 in the best spot to 8.1 in the worst area. I think I'd be fine with applying a bit of sulfur each fall to try to keep it in the mid 6's, however my bigger concern is with my well water. I had it tested by Culligan and it had a pH of 7.9 with about 700 ppm of dissolved solids. I watered some potted trees with it for a while before I had the chance to plant them and it did not take long for a white crust to form on the soil. I probably should get a chemical analysis done on the water, but I'm pretty confident it is full of alkali, as neighbors tell me the lake I'm against is full of it and it is being fed with the same ground water my well taps into. I worry if I get a dry spell and have to water several times with the well water I would add material to raise the pH pretty fast. I like the idea of using a small amount of vinegar to neutralize the pH, has anyone tried this before? What about something like lemon juice or a tiny amount of sulfuric acid? I realize that the changes in the soil would be short-lived but I would also be doing this every time I water. Rain water would be ideal but there's no way I can collect enough to maintain 4 acres of landscaping.
I've heard the elemental sulfur suggestion a few times now and I've decided to follow that advice and apply some this fall, hoping for a lower pH when the next growing season starts. I've tested in several locations and overall the soil isn't terrible, ranging from a neutral 7 in the best spot to 8.1 in the worst area. I think I'd be fine with applying a bit of sulfur each fall to try to keep it in the mid 6's, however my bigger concern is with my well water. I had it tested by Culligan and it had a pH of 7.9 with about 700 ppm of dissolved solids. I watered some potted trees with it for a while before I had the chance to plant them and it did not take long for a white crust to form on the soil. I probably should get a chemical analysis done on the water, but I'm pretty confident it is full of alkali, as neighbors tell me the lake I'm against is full of it and it is being fed with the same ground water my well taps into. I worry if I get a dry spell and have to water several times with the well water I would add material to raise the pH pretty fast. I like the idea of using a small amount of vinegar to neutralize the pH, has anyone tried this before? What about something like lemon juice or a tiny amount of sulfuric acid? I realize that the changes in the soil would be short-lived but I would also be doing this every time I water. Rain water would be ideal but there's no way I can collect enough to maintain 4 acres of landscaping.
So I searched the forum to see if anyone else was talking about aluminum. I've gotten pretty concerned about aluminum as it apparently might cause alzheimers over time. I even try to filter my drinking water for aluminum. So first of all I want to avoid using aluminum in my garden bed as an acidifier - what would you recommend using instead? Second, I don't want to get more aluminum into my soil from watering it with water that likely has a bit of aluminum in it. I don't know if there's maybe a water filter that can go on the garden hose?
My soil is high in aluminum. It actually binds phosphorus so while my total phosphorus is higher than it needs to be, a lot of it is actually unavailable as it is bound to aluminum. Aluminum toxicity usually only happens when the aluminum is in soluble form. pH would have to get down to about pH 5.0 for that to happen. Doing regular soil tests (I do mine about every 3 years) and doing tissue sampling can give you a good idea if you have a problem or not.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/soil_ph_a ... m_toxicity
Acidic fertilizer and acidic composts will also help to lower pH. Regardless, if you are using organic matter, composts can buffer the effects of pH making them behave more neutrally that they are. Using organic composts, animal manures actually will make your pH more alkaline when tested. It takes high nitrogen fertilizers like urea or ammonium sulfate to even make a dent in pH.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/soil_ph_a ... m_toxicity
Acidic fertilizer and acidic composts will also help to lower pH. Regardless, if you are using organic matter, composts can buffer the effects of pH making them behave more neutrally that they are. Using organic composts, animal manures actually will make your pH more alkaline when tested. It takes high nitrogen fertilizers like urea or ammonium sulfate to even make a dent in pH.
If it weren't for shipping, I'd happily trade you a couple cubic yards. Our soil here in SETX (between refinery row and hurricane alley) runs around 5.5. Lots of acid rain...A lot of the time, it is the compost and manures (especially chicken manures) that raise the pH over time. I add compost, so I rarely have to add lime. Maybe every 5-6 years. When you start out with a compost pile, the source material matters. The more acidic the components are like using manures, urea, acidic material like pine needles, the more acidic the end product will be. The nitrogen and the green waste in the pile starts of acidic, but most of the nitrogen will be lost as the organisms that decompose the matter and time leaching and evaporation reduces the nitrogen. Finished compost usually ends up on the high side of 7 or even 8 is it is young. It is also why compost in the end does not really add much NPK so it is mainly a source of carbon and improves tilth and water holding capacity. It also buffers soil pH making the soil behave more neutrally. It is why you still need to add fertilizer as well unless you cover crop, or you have rotated crops to balance how the nutrients are being used. Over time, composts can add a lot of phosphorus and potassium, but nitrogen is usually the hardest thing to get organically. Nitrogen is a volatile element so you probably still have to add it it and the best sources of organic nitrogen are animal sources.
It takes 6 months for the soil bacteria to convert soil pH in either direction depending on whether sulfur or calcium is being added. Vinegar will change the pH rapidly, but anything water soluble like that is likely to leach and may be too sudden a change in the short term, and not a lasting change in the long term.
It takes 6 months for the soil bacteria to convert soil pH in either direction depending on whether sulfur or calcium is being added. Vinegar will change the pH rapidly, but anything water soluble like that is likely to leach and may be too sudden a change in the short term, and not a lasting change in the long term.