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Re:Soil pH

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

>>Juliana wrote from NW Louisiana:
>>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.

Someone else wrote:
>>8.1 is NOT "very high."
>>Most veggies tend to like neutral pH readings

Oh, good grief, who'd have thought there'd be a controversy about soil pH
for heaven's sake. 

PLEASE call your County Extension Agent, Juliana, and ask her what you
should do for what you plan to grow (vegetables, fruit trees, flowers,
etc.). That's her job -- to help all agricultural and home gardener type
folks in your county with whatever questions or problems they have. And
then please tell US.

When I got my soil test results, the report included recommendations for
correcting the soil for our very low (acidic) pH soil for what we wanted to
grow. 

By the way, after we moved here a year ago, I got our county extension
agent over here personally to help figure out some things about how to do
what we wanted to do. Free, of course. And he even got out his neat soil
sample tool and took the soil samples for me. The soil test cost $3, IIRC.
You probably pay taxes (or even if you don't) -- you're entitled to his or
her help!  This could be an especially good time to call because since it's
not growing season yet, they may be slightly less busy, able to give you a
little more personal attention.

Anyway, since all the books say veggies prefer slightly acidic 6.0 to the
absolutely neutral 7.0, your 8.1 sounds high to me -- maybe not *very*
high, but high nonetheless. It's 110 times more alkaline than 7.0
(neutral).  I sure would like to hear what your county agent has to say
about it, and I sure wouldn't want to do science experiments in the
meantime, or instead. But that's just me. Too much work involved, not to
mention the time and money to possibly subvert your own efforts by not
making a simple phone call.

Another reason that I think it's a good idea to ask your local expert
rather than rely just on this lists' otherwise fine advice is that I've had
it driven home to me that local conditions may make a difference. I don't
remember if it was on this list, but I recall a discussion somewhere within
the last year about whether or not to use dolomitic lime (if one has acidic
soil). Well, for OUR area, I learned just the other day, the answer is
definitely, definitely, defnitely dolomitic lime because we also need the
magnesium in dolomitic lime.

Anyway, let us know what you do and what, if anything, you find out, okay?

Patricia
Zone 7b, West Georgia
All bundled up, waiting for the bi snow / ice / sleet storm. Reading
gardening catalogs and dreaming of snazzy new gardening tools and ALL the
seeds and bulbs and plants I didn't buy last year.


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