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Re: Soil pH

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Juliana --

I'm a little surprised that you have an alkaline soil in Louisiana. I'd
thought most of the East and esp. perhaps SE was more acidic. Over here in
West Georgia I have a 5.3 pH soil -- highly acidic. (Yuck.) Ideal for most
plants (veggies anyway) is somewhere around 7.0 which is neutral. Adding
sulfur and peat moss will help lower the pH.

Your pH level is important because it affects the availability of nutrients
to the plants. IOW, you can have the 16 essential nutrients in your soil,
but the plant can't access it. A book I've got which I like very much,
Gardener's Desk Reference by Anne Halpin, says that at 7.5 (and above),
phosphorus, manganese and iron start to become less available. Phosphorous
is for root growth and ripening of seeds and fruit. Manganese is needed for
chlorophyll production. Iron assists in the manufacture of chlorophyll and
other biochemical processes.

Deficiencies:
Phosphorus: Stunted growth, thin shoots. Leaves and stems are very small,
purple, red or very dark green. Flowering and fruit development are poor.
Roots are stunted.

Manganese: Leaves turn yellow and pale between veins, may develop brown spots.

Iron: Leaves develop chlorosis, turning yellor or very pale between veins.
Growth is weak and stunted.

(All this from that same book).

You should ask your extension agent for advice on exactly what to do. This
same neat book has some ideas, but it would be far preferrable to get the
info from someone in your area.

Hope this helps,

Patricia


>Have a question concerning pH.  I just got a soil analysis back from my
Co-op 
>Extension Service that showed a pH of 8.1, which they indicated is very
high. 
> From those of you with experience, should I amend my soil to lower the pH, 
>and if so what do you recommend?
>
>Thanks,
>Juliana
>Zone 8 NW Louisiana
>
>
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