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AburgGrdnr12
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 9:26 pm
Soil pH
Just tilled a new garden bed in the yard. pH is about 8 or 9. Should I just "wing" it and hope it will settle down throughout the season?
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Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7428
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
Get a pickup truck load of lemons, grapefruit, oranges, till them into the garden the acid will lower your ph.
I can drive along the city streets and pick up a 5x8 2 wheel trailer full in about 2 hours.
I have NO idea why people plant ornamental lemons, grapefruits and oranges when they could have Oranges they can eat.
My soil ph is down from 8.5 to 8 been testing it with PH paper 99 cents free postage from china buy it on ebay.
I can drive along the city streets and pick up a 5x8 2 wheel trailer full in about 2 hours.
I have NO idea why people plant ornamental lemons, grapefruits and oranges when they could have Oranges they can eat.
My soil ph is down from 8.5 to 8 been testing it with PH paper 99 cents free postage from china buy it on ebay.
There is a similar discussion on this topic below which would be helpful
P.S It is helpful to put your zone and location in your profile, and add some details as to what you are trying to grow and the conditions you have.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 11&t=51663
P.S It is helpful to put your zone and location in your profile, and add some details as to what you are trying to grow and the conditions you have.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 11&t=51663
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Agree with imafan, we need more info. Different plants can be a lot more or less tolerant of alkalinity. But winging it may not give you satisfactory results. A lot of veggies prefer slightly acid. You can use garden sulfur for acidifying or azalea fertilizer.
Personally I wouldn't put citrus directly in the garden, but you could start a compost pile with lots of acid ingredients and work to create a somewhat acidic compost (lots of the acid will break down, neutralize in the composting process, but you should still be able to create a mildly acidic compost). Mulching with pine needles or oak leaves would also help in the long run to correct the situation, but not immediately.
Personally I wouldn't put citrus directly in the garden, but you could start a compost pile with lots of acid ingredients and work to create a somewhat acidic compost (lots of the acid will break down, neutralize in the composting process, but you should still be able to create a mildly acidic compost). Mulching with pine needles or oak leaves would also help in the long run to correct the situation, but not immediately.