pH 7.5 - Leave it as is this season??

So I got my soil test results today and the pH is slightly alkaline - 7.5. Since everything's already planted and growing and some stuff is starting to produce, should I just leave my dirt alone for now?

Not sure if I can even add sulfur at this point or if it's worth it for a first-year bumbling gardener. Any comments or advice welcome . . .

In order for the sulphur to lower your PH it would take several months so I would just continue for now.

I like that answer. Makes it easy for me.

How are your herbs, Tplant?

Doing very well especially my basil. I'll take a picture tomorrow and post in in the Herb thread.

My soil is 8.0 and I have lowered it with sulfur, but it took a few months. Tplant knows his stuff. Maybe just mulch with good compost. Next year start early with sulfur and maybe iron. I found a product that is called super green that has both sulfur and cleated iron.

Whoops - edited - deleted using wood ashes - they are alkaline! : (

A pH of below 7.5 may prevent plants from getting phosphorus, iron or manganese. The quickest solution would be to apply Espoma Garden Sulphur which is not supposed to burn plants and starts to work in a few weeks (this is what I use). You might also try dried blood (applied lightly), cottonseed meal (may contain insecticides, but is a good acidifier - maybe there's an organic kind?), pine needles, sawdust, leaves, or wood chips - all of which are on the acidic side.

Whoops again, -edited to say a "pH ABOVE 7.5" !



This message was edited Jul 4, 2008 2:51 PM

This message was edited Jul 4, 2008 3:16 PM

This message was edited Jul 8, 2008 5:07 PM

"A pH of below 7.5 may prevent plants from getting phosphorus, iron or manganese."

CompostR, I think you might have meant "a pH above 7.5", not below. Most veggies plants do best at around 6.5-6.8/7 and can easily uptake those required nutriments.

Garden sulphur will surely lower the pH and yep, takes a couple weeks. (The amount used per square footage will also come into play.) By the way, dried blood is not acidic although cottonseed meal is. (Hoffman's brand is the only organic source I know of so I'd recommend that one.) As for the other recommendations (pine needles, leaves, sawdust, etc) once those are broken down its been shown they become neutral. I think perhaps you might have been referring to when someone makes a leach of those ingredients then the leach water will be somewhat acidic?

Indy-v, your soil is, as you said, "slightly" alkaline and I bet you will still have a great garden in spite of it. Being off-kilter by that little bit won't have a great effect on your production. I think you'll see that by incorporating your mulches, spent plants, etc into the garden when they go by your soil will improve not only in its tilth but also will level out its pH. If you want to add some sulfur at this point it certainly wouldn't have a detrimental affect on things, just be sure to add the recommended amount.

Happy gardening!
Shoe

Good to know. Thanks everyone!

Working organic matter in the soil will acidify it enough to neutralize it. Our pasture (source for soil in the raised beds) is pH 7.5 - in the beds with composted hay mixed in it's dead neutral.

Frank

You are correct Horseshoe, glad you noticed - I DID mean a pH HIGHER than 7.5.

As for the other things - I wouldn't ask anyone to take my word for it, so:

Re: Blood Meal:
According to Mississippi State U., blood meal has an acidic effect:
http://msucares.com/pubs/infosheets/is0372.pdf

Re: Pine Needles
Study showing pine mulch lowered soil pH:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/q362048v257116x2/

also see here under "pH and nutrients," "coniferous leaf compost is acid" (Ohio State)
http://ohioline.osu.edu/anr-fact/0015.html

Re: Compost - is not nessarily neutral - see the Ohio State link above. But, honestly, it's pretty close, so I'd have to agree with you there.

But, Horseshoe you gave me a good idea: Here's a list of edibles that tolerate a pH up to 7.5: artichoke, asparagus, beans, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, cucumber, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, parsnip, peas, pumpkin, spinach, tomato and mint.

Thanks for those links, CompostR. (I wish MSU would mention in their chart how acidic the change would be if using dried blood and the amount required to do so; have you any idea on that, or a source?) ( I use it quite often for my foliage crops.)

Sorry if I offended you. (I still tend to go by the Haughley experiment from the late '30's!) Thank you for humbling me with your research the 'Net. I am always on the lookout for newer studies!)

Best,
Shoe

You could not offend me, Shoe! I appreciate the opportunity to learn!

I looked, but could not find any exact pH analysis of blood meal. While it's on the acidic side, I don't think, at the rates recommended, you would need to worry about the pH. I use it a lot and it seems to work very well. I usually always use 1/2 the recommended rate. That's just me being frugal and cautious. Only in EXCESS can it "burn" plants.

(Simplified, the nitrogen in the blood meal is used by bacteria, when they die they produce ammonia; other bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates, a form of ammonia used by plants. But, if there is too much ammonia, plants' leaves and roots can "burn" or turn brown. They think ammonia toxicity is caused by a combination of factors: prevents plants from absorbing minerals, causes soil acidification, alters cell pH, interferes with metabolism, and accumulates in leaves.)

The Haughley experiment - very interesting! It still exists in the form of the Soil Association (soilassociation.org).

Thanks, Shoe.

The Soil Association? I love that name! I'll be sure to check out their link. Thanks!

And yes, like you, I use blood meal/dried blood sparingly and haven't seen any problems with it. I suppose it is like everything, "all things in moderation", eh? (I know it sure makes my lettuces grow great!)

Okay, off to pick beans and maters for mkt!
Happy Gardening to All!

Shoe