Re: Soil pH

I tend to forget about things like buffering capacity when the issues
don't come up for several years. Thanks for mentioning it Jim. Our soil
here has plenty of clay and I do my best to incorporate organic matter,
so my buffering capacity is probably pretty good. Consequently, my 9 or
10 pH tap water doesn't pose a great problem. But I think my plants much
prefer something more acidic. From "Something to Grow on" (Cornell):


Buffering capacity is the ability to withstand rapid pH fluctuation. The
greater the buffering capacity, the greater the quantity of acid or base
which must be incorporated with a material to alter the pH.

 Soil types having low buffering capacities include sandy soils containing little clay or organic matter. 
 Soils exhibiting a high buffering capacity are usually composed of large quantities of mineral clay and organic matter.
-
Kitty 
neIN, Zone5

-------------- Original message -------------- 

> Donna wrote: 
> > Hum... rainwater should be acidic... how about distilled water? 
> > 
> > Donna 
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
> Acidic yes, buffered no. Buffering refers to the capacity of a solution 
> to maintain its pH when acid or base is added. Distilled water is the thing 
> chemistry labs use when an accurate measurement is needed. I have seen 
> distilled water in gallon or half gallon jugs at no great cost. 
> -jrf 
> -- 
> Jim Fisher 
> Vienna, Virginia USA 
> 38.9 N 77.2 W 
> USDA Zone 7 
> Max. 105 F [40 C], Min. 5 F [-15 C] 
> 
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