Any quick way to reduce PH?

I have an area with trucked in soil to which I added a lot of compost and a light broadcast of dolomitic lime (hand scattered), and a light application of 10-10-10, all done without a PH test. The area was put in two years ago, and I noticed that some plants such as begonias and petunias were not doing as well as expected, several other plants doing fine. A sweet box plant that failed to grow and started looking yellowish prompted me to a test and I found a PH of 8, need tyo get it down between 5 & 6 for the box, and at least less than 7 for the other plantings.
Does anyone know a fast and effective way to get the PH down, I've heard it takes about 2 years using Aluminum Sulphate, I'm hoping there is a quicker way. Thanks for any help.

Jim

Sulfur will immediatly lower PH but it is temporary. Compost is the best way to long term drop Ph. You probably got a lot of lime in you origional soil. Calcium is lime and your adding it as dolomite lime will long term raise the PH. Sulfur fertilizer and add it several times a year. No more lime. In areas that the plants need acidic soil I use a combination of composted pine needles (shredded) and peat moss. This I put in a raised bed and continue to compost every year. I had a ground level bed go from 6.5 to 7.8 over 3 years so I removed all the plants and redid the soil and raised it. I'm waiting for it to cook so I can retest PH.

Try ammonium sulfate for quick results. They might also need some iron now if yellow so look at some iron sulfate. Make sure you read the instructions on both as they can burn plants. I tend to stay away from the aluminum sulfate for myself since I heard that some plants don't react well to the aluminum (like my blueberries). I would follow Sofers recommendations for the no lime, sulfur, pine needles, etc.

Sofer, do you know if the active compost will have a buffering effect once you get to around a ph of 7, or is that hogwash?

I don't know. I feel just the opposite that the active compost is acidic and continues to lower PH. But I'm note a soil PHD. Is anyone out there. The reason that soils are acidic (at least in PNW) is due to the continual production of organic acids in the decompisition of Carbon and Nitrogen. If that is true no buffer is chemically present.

I used compost for my blueberries as they like the organics, just used a lot of peat and sulfur also. I just heard that in an active compost pile you won't get big swings in ph due to the buffering capacity of the compost itself (primarily due to some of the biological constituents) and was wondering if this holds (or is true) after it is cooked and in the ground. The C and the N should make mild acids like you say.

No PHD here either. I got a, and am full of, BS. You should have had quite a bit of organic chem for being a vet, right? Oh well, off to camping in Cali Wednesday morning, so probably won't be checking back much. Maybe a PHD will post before I get back.

Thanks Soferdig and Willis

I got the no more lime message loud amd clear from the PH test. I'll add more copmpost and peat as soon as the soil dries enough to work, been having a lot of rain here lately. Think I'll add some paver sand too, soil seems to have quite a bit of clay. As soon as I found the PH so high I sprinkled ironite around and watered with two Tbs. aluminum sulphate and two Tbs. Miracid in two gallons of water, but since the soil was already pretty wet, those chemicals may not have got to the root zone.
I went looking for ammonium sulphate, but neither Lowes or Home Depot had it, Wonder if maybe I can get it at a farm supply place?

Jim

1. Get a wooden stake, a two by three foot peice of plywood, paint "For Sale" on it and stick it in your front grass.
2. Meet a realtor and equip him with a pH kit.
3. Buy a house with naturally acidic soil.

Pardon my sarcasm:
(Trying to change it is one gardener against hundreds of feet of dirt that disagrees. Soil pH averages itself out. If you plop a foot of pH low soil on top of ground that is high, the pH-bearing chemistry will move up into the new.
Imagine planting an Azalea in an artificially low pH spot. That poor plant will suffer if pH management stops. )

Or, just add a bunch of organic matter like Willis said and Soferdig does. A plant can tolerate a different pH if given good organic content, adaptability increases. The "buffering" can just be the organic matter releasing nurients from the tight grips of the soil. For instance, around here, Iron chlorosis can be solved momentarily with chelated iron or temporary pH change, but the addition of Organic matter works most effectively and continually.
I personally subscribe to the school that pH is highly overrated. The key is compost.

K. James

Sounds like a start, Jim. What are you planting there?

Thanks for your input JamesCO

Have various plants in that small bit of landscaping, and want to put in a lot more. There is a small Japanese maple, two varieties of Chamaecyparis, Japanese ferns, Heuchera, Chrysogonum (Allen Bush), Hostas (the large ones will have to go from there), Peruvian lily, Rock Cress, and Bellfower (Blue Waterfall). Also have several spring flowering bulbs in one small part of the area.

All the above seem to be doing fine. The only plant that appears to be suffering is a small Sarcococca hookerinia humilis, common name sweet box. I'll see if I can post a picture of it.

Sarcococca must have rather acidic soil so throw that away and get oregon grape. Somewhat similar and a great Xeriscape ground cover in Somewhat alkaline soil. I have it naturally growing where in Seattle I planted Sarc. The rest of those will do just fine. Never sell during an increasing interest rate time. The house can accept a few changes to your plantings.

It may not last forever ( what does ? ) but if you use shredded pine bark and needles as mulch you can keep the PH below 7. . Only drawback is it does steal nitrogen as it breaks down. End result is very rich soil under the plants as it breaks down and enough acid to keep em happy. My soil is very alkaline and my well water is also full of carbonates. So I found mixing pinebark and needles and soil as I plant and then topdressing with shedded pine bark allows me to grow stuff besides brazillian peppers. I do have to add additional bark as needed . Oh and keep it away from the house or outbuildings as it's termite food. I found sulfer caused a rapid lowering of ph then it would go back up almost as quickly when the bacteria finished breaking down the sulfer. You live in a limestone area so I imagine you will have the same problem. The pinebark seems to buffer a little so my ph stays below 7.
So yes you can have acid loving plants, just avoid planting them near your house.
Another Kenton

Thanks to all who have replied.

Well I checked the Oregon grape and don't think it would do for that space, its in front of our dining room windows and we prefer to use short plants which don't block the view. I really want to save the Sarco, when they are a little bigger they have very nice and fragrant small flowers, and the foliage looks good too.

There are no pines on the place or anywhere nearby that I know of. I could buy baled pine straw but it's pretty expensive, think the pine bark mulch is more reasonable. We do have plenty of oak leaves, wonder if they will work, I know they contain tannic acid.

Hope you can get the idea from the picture, the large Heucheras and Hostas, and the tall weedy looking plant in the center of the little rock wall (supposed to be a tarragon, not sure it is), will all have to migrate to the back yard. I'm going to put in some Jack Frost Brunneria (I think) in place or the heucheria, may put in small hostas in place of the large one, and want to put in some creeping wintergreen in some of the bare spots, it's probably an acid lover too. Also plan to stick in two more of the Peruvian lilys.

Continual applications of compost build organic matter content in the soil. Generally compost is neither acidic or basic, its neutralzing. It is called a buffer, because the organic material helps bring soil back towards neutral. If your pH is too high or too low, compost may bring it back towards 7.

The patient seems to be responding to the treatment. I dug a new larger hole and filled it with a mix of compost, peat moss, a bit of potting soil which is heavy on pine bark, and some soil which I had mixed with a lot of peat moss a couple of years ago, also a couple of gallons of course sand. My Mantis tiller made quick work of mixing the whole mess in place. Lifted the plant and gently washed off most of the soil by dabbling it up and down in a tub of water, the roots looked good so spread them out on top of a small mound in the center of the hole, packed the soil around the plant good and tight, and watered it in with miracid. The plant is showing its first new growth since I've had it. Thanks for the good advice.

Jim