Lowering Soil pH- in Louisiana- Organically
KimbaTWL
11 years ago
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grandad_2003
11 years agoRelated Discussions
lowering my soil pH organically, will citrus work?
Comments (20)I'm posting on this OLD post because it still comes up at the top of google search for "citrus peels lower soil ph" ... I have been doing tests with Citrus Peels.... I have found that about 30 good size grapefruit peels blended up in a blender (lots of batches of blending) with half water/half citrus in the end, produces a good acid base. I did enough to fill 30% of a 5 gallon bucket, which I then diluted to a full 5 gallons of liquid. This was then diluted 5 fold to register a drop in pH of 1 for the water... This diluted citric acid can be used similarly to sulfuric acid dilute. There is a company here that sells Moon Juice which is a combination of sulfuric acid + iron and other trace minerals... It's used for temporarily lowering the ph so trees and shrubs and such can uptake iron and other minerals that lock out at alkaline pH Levels... Given that we're in the southwest we have an ABUNDAND supply of citrus and over time, this is the same effect the trees fruit would give to the soil if there were no humans to tend to and pick the fruit... the fruit would rot on the ground, the citric acid would leach out into the ground as it decomposes and maintain a more acidic soil balance for the trees long term support... So can you use citric acid to dilute, yes you can, though, just like with a sulfuric acid dilute, you're going to need to apply it regularly (monthly or so depending on ph plant/etc) until the bacteria that feed on the sulfur have had enough time to lower the soils actual ph levels ... Something that seems to be long forgotten as I read some of these posts is... all living things have a pH, you can burn things by dropping ph too fast, or by raising too fast, so obviously some of the responses regarding putting acid next to the roots are appropriate, they are also inappropriate because your obviously not going to dump straight acid on anything unless your intention is to utilize the full strength of the acid :P Good Luck! Would love to hear about what you've done and how it's developed since your original questions!...See MoreHow to lower the soil ph organically
Comments (13)Couple of thoughts come to mind from this discussion :-) First, I would find it extremely unusual to have your soil accurately test out at a pH of 10. Virtually nothing will grow in a soil that alkaline.......I'd suspect something was seriously amiss with your testing procedure :-) Second, aluminum sulfate must be used with caution. Excess aluminum is toxic to many plants and a little goes a very long way! Third, I'd investigate a professional test to determine an accurate pH reading at least. Personally, I'd bite the bullet and get a full professional test -- the soil is arguably the most important factor in the success of a garden and it is very helpful to know exactly (and accurately) what you are dealing with with regards to pH and fertility before attempting to make any changes that may or may not be called for. And it is important to understand that depending on what your existing pH tests out to be, you may not be able to alter it to the degree you want or at least not permanently. Many soils have buffering capacities that resist significant and permanent changes to pH. If that proves to be the case, you may have to limit your ability to grow acid loving plants or at least restrict them to a designated area - like a raised bed - where you can add imported soil and tailor the pH to their specific needs. Finally, to the previous poster: materials like pine needles do not alter soil pH to any significant degree. You may get a slight lowering at the soil surface with a mulch but once incorporated into the soil or added to compost, acidic materials lose their acidity during decomposition. Composted, they will be very nearly neutral (or only very slightly acidic)....See MoreAcid pH soil for Azeales necessary?
Comments (10)Kris, thanks for the insight. Actually East Texas is quite different (including Houston) from the rest of Texas. (I'm not sure about South Texas; never lived that far south) I've seen Azeleas thrive including at my parents house in houston where I grew up and the rest of neighborhood. They were at least 6 feet tall. There are tall pines trees everywhere in that area so that tells you that the soil is different. You don't see that much in Dallas and further west. When I went to Nacodoches (deep east texas) for college, it was basically in the middle of the forest. I loved it there. The pine trees and oak trees were huge. Again, it's rare where I currently live. I only see them like that along the banks of river or creeks around here but not as tall. I built raised bed for azeleas on the east side by the house where they recieve morning sun only. The house shades them from afternoon sun so they seem to be doing fine for now. I have encore embers and they're blooming quite often right now. I knew better than plant directly into akaline native soil so I built raised bed. I can always redo it if it didnt work out. At least, I'd learn something out of it! They don't grow deep roots right? I'll be on the lookout for bags of oak leaves (pine leaves if im that lucky) to steal off the curbs. I will throw in pine barks but they tend to float off during heavy rains. Perhaps burlap will hold them down? (Interbay Mulch, heh?) The tap water is also akaline so I use apple cider vinegar (1 TBS per gallon) to help with that. I figured it couldnt hurt. About peat moss, they're something of anti microbial stuff. They were actually used to preserve meat many years ago. They take a very long time to break down so I don't know if it's really good for the plants (soil biological activity). We all depends on microbes to break down organic matter into usable nutrients for the plants to take in via roots (and leaves). With peat moss, how do you feed them? I've seen Azeales fertlizers at home depot, lowes, etc so it made me wonder if that's the reason for that. I guess that's why I didn't want to use peat moss. I have a picture of my azeleas but I'm not sure how to post it here....See MoreReasons for testing pH of bagged soils: lousy performance
Comments (18)Hi Lyn: I'm glad to hear from you (I miss you, honestly). I posted it in Robert's English rose forum, see the link below. The advantage of red cabbage juice test, which toxcrusadr (a chemist) in the soil forum thinks its a good idea, is: It's more accurate since you can put a large amount of soil, rather than 1 teaspoon like those test-kit sold for $12 at the stores. As the soil soaks in the red cabbage juice for more than 20 minutes, it allows time for elements in the soil to be released. For $1.50 cents (99 cents of distilled water and 50 cents of red cabbage), I can test 10 different samples from various places in my garden, or different bagged soil products, to see which one most alkaline. I used those small plastic applesauce cups to hold samples. When I first tested coffee grounds from my Hubby in red cabbage juice, it was pinkish like acidic potting soil. After 1 hour, the solution was clear at the top, not a single pink trace left. Coffee is a buffer, it neutralizes the soil, as Michaelg informed. I topdressed roses with coffee ground with no problems. Espresso ground from Starbucks is different: it stayed pink and gave my rhododrendrons pink stripes. One pot has MiracleGro Organic potting soil, neutral pH. At first Sonia Rykiel was dark green, but after 3 months of akaline tap water at pH of 8, she became very yellow. I tested her soil again in red cabbage juice, same color as my soil (pH 7.7), bluish green. The fish-tank litmus strips sold at Walmart for $5 is a fast way to test one's water. It's more accurate in the alkaline range, and NOT so in the acidic rain. I would NOT use it to test the pH of rain water, reported at 5.7, which explains why the roses in my alkaline soil are dark green in the spring. Here is a link that might be useful: Test soil pH for $1.50 using red cabbage...See Morekchd
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