Re: How to acidify soil
- To: <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Re: How to acidify soil
- From: "* L* <h*@mindspring.com>
- Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 21:39:45 -0500
Thanks, Brian, that has the right ring to it!
-----Original Message-----
From: Kishori & Brian Hutchings <cusheoncreek@saltspring.com>
To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>
Date: Friday, February 06, 1998 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: How to acidify soil
>Compost pH can be quite changeable, I think because of ammonia given off
>in decomposition. I once got a steaming load of chicken manure-topsoil mix
>at pH 7.8, 3months later it was 4.5!
>Brian
>http://vvv.com/~amdigest/cusheon.htm
>----------
>> From: Harold Lanktree <hlanktree@mindspring.com>
>> To: perennials@mallorn.com
>> Subject: Re: How to acidify soil
>> Date: Friday, February 06, 1998 10:26 AM
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: mark <markmos@banet.net>
>> To: perennials@mallorn.com <perennials@mallorn.com>
>> Date: Friday, February 06, 1998 12:41 AM
>> Subject: Re: How to acidify soil
>>
>>
>> >Harold Lanktree wrote:
>> >>
>> >> My soil in Michigan is quite alkaline too. What I am doing is
>building
>> >> mounded beds using bulk "50-50" mix from a local nursery. It is 50%
>> topsoil
>> >> and 50% peat. You can use soil sulphur and acidifying fertilizer, but
>> soil
>> >> any organic mater in the soil will buffer, or restrict changes in pH,
>so
>> I
>> >> don't think they are terribly effective. In effect, I am changing the
>> soil
>> >> to get around that. Since most of the plants I am concerned with have
>> >> shallow root systems (rhodo's, etc) the mounds don't need to be very
>> high.
>> >> Secondary benefits are much improved drainage in the root zone, and a
>> high
>> >> level of organic matter, which these plants love. Over a long period
>of
>> >> time I expect my new soil will loose acidity too, but I think it will
>> take
>> >> many years.
>> >>
>> >
>> >Hi Harold,,
>> >
>> >Why not mix into the soils decomposed manure? I mix it into all my beds
>> >and here we do not have a problem with alkilinity. The uric acid lowers
>> >the PH.
>> >
>> >Mark Mos
>> >NY
>>
>>
>> I'm in an area that is pretty urban, and manure of any kind isn't so
>easily
>> come by. But it would be a great idea if it were handy. Another
>> consideration is that the soil is maybe too alkaline for half measures.
>I
>> do see that I left out something along that line, though. I am mixing
>about
>> 30-40% compost into the 50-50 mix.
>>
>> That was also interesting. Since I am trying to build a lower pH soil,
>it
>> occurred to me to measure the pH of the compost. WOW, but it was off the
>> high end of the scale! I have done some consulting with my favorite
>> Advanced Master Garden guru about that, and she tells me that compost is
>> often alkaline (and very hard to get a good pH measurement for, with all
>the
>> organic material). But that it seems to increase in pH after it is
>applied.
>>
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