I am new to gardening and I'm so confused no matter what I read because:
My soil test kit says my soil is 7.5. I THOUGHT that mean it is slightly acidic. But then Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden) says:
'Use baking soda which raises PH which fungus hates. Or you can use wetable sulfur which decreases PH and makes it more acidic.'
This is an example of why I am confused. It does not seem that there is a coorelation between the 7.5 number because 'lowering the PH' does not mean 'lowering that number'? It seems OPPOSITE to what I think it should be! In everything I read, I keep getting confused on this number and what 'raising' and 'lowering' means. I have read and read gardening thing I can find and I remain confused. I've been reviewing methods to combat fungus, change my soil PH (DROPPING that number to between 6.5 and 7.0 which it says my plants prefer).
I THOUGHT I understood but everything I read confuses me further. Can someone please please set me straight? I will paste the answer and keep it by my mixtures.
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Gary350
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This picture is my ph paper package. 1 is high acid. 14 is high base. 7 is neutral. Each plant has a ph it likes best. Potatoes like 5.5 to 6 ph soil. Most plants do good in 6 ph soil. If soil gets above 8 ph it locks up minerals in the soil plants turn yellow and die. Too much organic material can increase ph above 8. Add vinegar, any acid, sulfur to lower ph.
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Last edited by Gary350 on Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Gary350
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Typing error good thing you caught that I changed it. I remember chemistry class 7 ph is neutral.PaulF wrote:I always thought 7.0 was neutral which means pure water. I would do about anything for a 7.5 pH. I think anything between 6.5 and 7.5 is an excellent range for growing almost all garden vegetables.
Well I'm feeling better about my 7.5 PH soil then. So even though it says my varieties prefer 6.5 to 7.0 ... I shouldn't need to adjust the soil to 'lower' that number?
I am still confused. I thought
6 and lower is alkaline
6.5 less alkaline
7.0 middle
7.5 more acid than alkaline
8.0 more acid than 7.5
So I was attempting to LOWER my number from 7.5 to 7.0 or 6.5 ... meaning make it more alkaline by LOWERING the PH.
On the chart, 1 is high acid so 'lowering' the PH (lowering that NUMBER) makes it more acidic?
I am still confused. I thought
6 and lower is alkaline
6.5 less alkaline
7.0 middle
7.5 more acid than alkaline
8.0 more acid than 7.5
So I was attempting to LOWER my number from 7.5 to 7.0 or 6.5 ... meaning make it more alkaline by LOWERING the PH.
On the chart, 1 is high acid so 'lowering' the PH (lowering that NUMBER) makes it more acidic?
THANK YOU! I had it completely backwards! BTW, Gary Pilarchik's quote in my opening post was referring to spraying leaves to change the PH which is hostile to fungus. So regarding PH, lowering is always 'increasing the acidity'. High PH number is ALKALINE! 'Base' means alkaline!
Thank you Gary, Paul and Applestar!!
Thank you Gary, Paul and Applestar!!
Changing pH in soil is often hard. My soil pH is 7.9, and I can add a zillion things to it acidify my soil, BUT my irrigation water is pH 7.9 too. So anything I add to the soil to acidify it rapidly gets canceled out by my irrigation water. I guess if you want to treat your water first, or use distilled water, you might have a chance, but in my climate, I go through lots of water. Where I am, soil acidification is kind of a joke. Actually, things grow marvelously in 7.9. Wish I could do blueberries, but that's the only thing that I miss.
Bottom line, if you want to change the pH of your soil, get your irrigation water tested to see what you're really up against.
Bottom line, if you want to change the pH of your soil, get your irrigation water tested to see what you're really up against.
My soil pH is in the 8.0 to 8.5 range depending on how long it has been since sulphur products have been incorporated into the soil. It gets done now every fall since it takes several months to begin changing the pH. If my soil can get into the 7.7-7.9 range that is the best I can expect. Soil has a tendency to return to its natural state no matter what is done to it. Lots of organics can help, lots of chemicals make larger changes...for a while. It takes work and thought to make soil different than what is has been for millions of years. No matter what the pH, my soil grows great weeds.
My soil was created for the pots: 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost (mix of black kow, worm castings, mushroom, bat guano, azomite, mycrorizel, kelp, and every other organic compost I could buy. It is what is called Mel's Mix. I didn't know I should check the PH after I mixed it. 
In theory, from what I'm reading, if one uses all organics then one doesn't need to worry about PH because it will self regulate and I won't need to 'balance' the PH each time I add nutes (nutrients - I had to look up 'nutes', LOL). But I recognize that there are many 'experts' on line and most give advice only based upon their person experience, which makes sense.
I was a Software Engineer and I would form theories based upon my results. And sometimes I was wrong. And a wrong theory can perpetuate further wrong theories. I am focusing on learning the underlying principles knowing that, if I understand the principle then the best course of action should logically follow. This is my first garden and I have a LOT yet to learn and I recognize my utter ignorance on it. So far, I haven't a single weed in any of my planters (beginner's luck) but my squash leaves are turning a pale yellow so they may fail yet before the Waltham Butternuts are ripe.
Gardening is as difficult as Fortran!
In theory, from what I'm reading, if one uses all organics then one doesn't need to worry about PH because it will self regulate and I won't need to 'balance' the PH each time I add nutes (nutrients - I had to look up 'nutes', LOL). But I recognize that there are many 'experts' on line and most give advice only based upon their person experience, which makes sense.
I was a Software Engineer and I would form theories based upon my results. And sometimes I was wrong. And a wrong theory can perpetuate further wrong theories. I am focusing on learning the underlying principles knowing that, if I understand the principle then the best course of action should logically follow. This is my first garden and I have a LOT yet to learn and I recognize my utter ignorance on it. So far, I haven't a single weed in any of my planters (beginner's luck) but my squash leaves are turning a pale yellow so they may fail yet before the Waltham Butternuts are ripe.
Gardening is as difficult as Fortran!Homemade soil mixes may or may not be in balance depending on what goes in. The best test is how plants react. I don't understand what you mean by self regulate. That does not mean your mixture will become good all by itself, only that the pH will indicate the sum of the parts. Yellowing leaves may indicate a lack of nutrients necessary for photosynthesis. Most likely nitrogen. pH is only one part of having healthy soil; N, P, K, trace minerals, organic material are some of the important parts of a healthy growing medium. Too much of some part or not enough of another can add up to poor soil (or in this case soilless mix). That is where paying attention to what the plants are doing comes in.
The pH scale refers to the hydrogen ion concentration. The scale runs from 0-14. The lower the number the more acidic things are the higher the number the more alkaline or (base) things are. a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Most plants will do well in a pH ranging from about pH 5.5 to 7.5. Some plants are acid loving and like very acidic conditions like blueberries which can be happy even with a pH of around 5. On the other hand things like baby's breath can handle a pH near 8 but won't do well in acidic soils.
pH determines in part the availability of nutrients. When the soil is acidic, more of the micronutrients are available. This becomes important if you have plants like gardenia, grass, azaleas, and other acid loving plants that show chlorosis when they are not able to absorb the micronutrients.
While pH is a major player in terms of bioavailability of elements (nutrients), other factors play a part in the enhancement, binding, or suppression of other nutrients. High amounts of aluminum in the soil binds phosphorus, so while it may be present in the soil in large amounts, it may not be readily available to plants. At the same time excess amounts of elements that are not needed can become pollutants when they hit the water table and leach into streams, rivers, and oceans. Phosphorus and nitrogen have both contributed to environmental damage caused by extreme levels of these elements that made their way into the water systems.
The absolute value of pH is not always important. Organic matter buffers the soil so it behaves more neutrally, even when the pH is a little higher than normal.
It is best to get a soil test done by a lab or your local extension office before making adjustments to pH or adding fertilizers.
Changing pH is a slow process (it can take up to 6 months.) If you are using lime or sulfur and it is not recommended to try to change the pH more than 1 point at a time so the plants have a chance to adapt. A soil test will tell you how much sulfur or lime you will need to make the change. In my experience there are certain properties in soil that you won't be able to change permanently. The soil will always want to go back to its "natural state". Rather than fight it, it is better to either grow some plants in containers or grow plants that are best adapted to the environment.
I found that adding compost will alkalinize the soil. At least the compost that is locally available does that. It has a pH of 8.13 the last time I checked. Although it is higher than I would like it to be, compost does buffer the pH so it does act more neutrally. I still could not grow any acid loving plants under those conditions. Peat moss that has not been "neutralized" has a pH around 3. Even after it has been limed, the pH hovers around 6. I use peat moss to quickly acidify the soil and my very alkaline compost and chicken manure can be used instead of lime to raise the pH.
I found that over time, the ratio between anions and cations have changed and that has also impacted pH.
The benefit of periodic soil testing done by a lab is that I get recommendations on how much and what I should add. It takes the guesswork out of trying to determine what I need to do to fix it myself. It is more accurate than a simple soil test kit and for me a soil test done by the local extension service only cost $12 and I have more than recouped that by not buying fertilizers I don't need.
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension- ... -nutrients
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/nutrient/CA5/CA0539.php
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/MauiSoil/default.aspx
pH determines in part the availability of nutrients. When the soil is acidic, more of the micronutrients are available. This becomes important if you have plants like gardenia, grass, azaleas, and other acid loving plants that show chlorosis when they are not able to absorb the micronutrients.
While pH is a major player in terms of bioavailability of elements (nutrients), other factors play a part in the enhancement, binding, or suppression of other nutrients. High amounts of aluminum in the soil binds phosphorus, so while it may be present in the soil in large amounts, it may not be readily available to plants. At the same time excess amounts of elements that are not needed can become pollutants when they hit the water table and leach into streams, rivers, and oceans. Phosphorus and nitrogen have both contributed to environmental damage caused by extreme levels of these elements that made their way into the water systems.
The absolute value of pH is not always important. Organic matter buffers the soil so it behaves more neutrally, even when the pH is a little higher than normal.
It is best to get a soil test done by a lab or your local extension office before making adjustments to pH or adding fertilizers.
Changing pH is a slow process (it can take up to 6 months.) If you are using lime or sulfur and it is not recommended to try to change the pH more than 1 point at a time so the plants have a chance to adapt. A soil test will tell you how much sulfur or lime you will need to make the change. In my experience there are certain properties in soil that you won't be able to change permanently. The soil will always want to go back to its "natural state". Rather than fight it, it is better to either grow some plants in containers or grow plants that are best adapted to the environment.
I found that adding compost will alkalinize the soil. At least the compost that is locally available does that. It has a pH of 8.13 the last time I checked. Although it is higher than I would like it to be, compost does buffer the pH so it does act more neutrally. I still could not grow any acid loving plants under those conditions. Peat moss that has not been "neutralized" has a pH around 3. Even after it has been limed, the pH hovers around 6. I use peat moss to quickly acidify the soil and my very alkaline compost and chicken manure can be used instead of lime to raise the pH.
I found that over time, the ratio between anions and cations have changed and that has also impacted pH.
The benefit of periodic soil testing done by a lab is that I get recommendations on how much and what I should add. It takes the guesswork out of trying to determine what I need to do to fix it myself. It is more accurate than a simple soil test kit and for me a soil test done by the local extension service only cost $12 and I have more than recouped that by not buying fertilizers I don't need.
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension- ... -nutrients
https://nrcca.cals.cornell.edu/nutrient/CA5/CA0539.php
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/MauiSoil/default.aspx
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rainbowgardener
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