How to lower acidity of soil

[MrBoZiffer]

Obviously I'm new to gardening.

Anyway, back in February I dug three 3' x 20' beds: two by double digging and one by forking. The forked bed turned out best because, I think, the two I dug had way too much clay and I didn't amend with enough compost and manure. Regardless, I've now got everything full of crops, but most are looking pretty weak. I've been fertilizing with seaweed/fish emulsion and adding some compost here and there, but with no great results - crops are still slow and pale. I finally decided to do a pH test and I got some bad readings, some below 5 and none above 6.

So the remedy seems to be lime. But my question is: is there anyway to add the lime without mowing all the crops down and starting over? I'd like to be able to save some of the crops. Also, some of the plants that are growing well, like lettuce, will they taste bitter because of the acidity?

One more question regarding watering: is there a general rule of thumb for the amount of rainfall each week to dictate watering? For instance, if we get 2" (arbitrary number) early in a week, should I water less?

Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, the pale would be from the acidity, too much acid locks up some nutrients like iron, so they are not available to the plant.

No, don't mow down your crops! If you just have three beds, just trowel in some amendments around them. The compost is a good start, it just won't fix things over night. But you could keep doing that. Granulated lime or wood ash can be worked into the soil around the plants, to help raise pH.

But don't get carried away. Most veggies like slightly acid soils. pH 6 is fine for lots of veggies.

Yes, don't water if you've had rain. Water loving things like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, need an inch of water a week. If you've gotten that, don't water.

[MrBoZiffer]

Cool. I've got some lime and plenty of compost so I'll definitely try to work them in. I'm glad to hear I can maybe save some plants. Thanks!

[nickiadkins]

I would let your plants dictate how much amending you need to do. In the beginning of gardening, I always felt rushed to get the soil right or weed everything or be pest free. As you go along, you will notice that it is a journey. Slowly change things there is no rush. Each time you plant, put a shovel of black kow manure with your dirt, or add cottonseed meal and other organic fertilizers and work into the soil. Sooner or later your dirt will be amended to the proper ph that each plant needs. Every year I get a truck load of compost from my local landfill and amend. If you change to quickly it could do more harm than good.

Watering: I watch the local extended forecast If within the 7 day period we are scheduled for rain, I wait till that day...If my rain guages say less than 1 inch or get no rain at all...I water the garden thoroughly and slowly. I do the same every Sunday each week. Usually, I end up watering on wed or thursday if no rain is scheduled. Be careful with overhead watering it is tough on plants. Hope it helps.

[Alan in Vermont]

Look for "pelletized lime" at garden suppliers. It is a much more finely ground product mixed with some sort of vegetable based binder. The largest particles of lime in the pelletized product are about the same size as the smallest in granular lime. As a result it works much faster than the granular product, supposedly it will start to affect ph in as little as two weeks. Granular lime is usually applied in the fall so it has all winter to begin to work. There are also products called liquid lime which are supposed to work even faster but I have no experience with them.

[MrBoZiffer]

Good advice, Nicki. Nice blog too. Thanks! Are you in Mobile? I grew up there.

Alan, I was able to find some pellet lime, so thanks for the advice. I'll apply it this weekend.

[Gary350]

Some crops like potatoes and blueberries like acid soil. I would not put any lime in that part of the garden.

[lily51]

If you send soil samples to a lab, it will tell you exactly what to do instead of guessing. Some extensions in some states may still do soil testing. You'll have to check around your area to see what to do. They'll also tell you the correct procedure for taking samples.
They may want to know what you are growing in which bed, too.
As the saying goes, "Don't guess, soil test"

[MrBoZiffer]

Thanks folks. I put in a little pelletized lime this weekend, along with some compost. I didn't put too much so I'll just see how it does over the next few weeks before I add more.