If a ph tells me my soil is very acid, how do I correct it.?
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Adjusting the pH in your garden isn't always the answer, as you'll be working against the natural soil condition. Instead, when planning your garden, choose plants that work best in acidic soil by selecting acid loving plants (see chart on the site below). If you really want to raise the pH, however, you can do so by adding lime (ground limestone). The amount you will need to add depends on the results of the pH test and the type of soil. Less lime is needed in sandy soil than in soil that contains clay. About four ounces per square yard is a good place to start for sandy soil. For clay, you may want to use twelve ounces per square yard. Don’t add too much in the beginning. Use no more than five pounds for each one hundred square feet of soil. Alternatively, applying wood ashes will also raise soil pH. Wood ashes contain up to 70 percent calcium carbonate, as well as potassium, phosphorus, and many trace elements. Because it's powdery, wood ash is a fast-acting liming material. Be careful, a little goes a long way, so limit your application to 2 pounds per 100 square feet and only apply it every other year in a particular area. If you decide to go down this route, remember that the process and time it will take to alter the pH will depend entirely on the level of acidity in the soil.
Hello again!
Can be a bit of a nightmare this one.
Manure always works well, but it rakes a while to rot down and really smells bad. Growmore and blood, fish and bone is a good combination to dig in to your soil, but be careful not to use too much.
you tell you PH to mind its own business lol
Dig lime in, you can buy it in bags at the garden centre.
Problem is - if your soil is acid it will keep reverting back to acid over time so you either need to keep testing it & adjusting it - or just concentrate on growing acid loving plants.
Hello,
(ANS) If the PH test says your soil is on the acid side, the way to correct this is to add a substance that contains the opposite i.e. an ALKALINE. The aim would always be to try to produce a neutral PH or PH 7.
**If you ask at the garden center or ask an experienced gardener they could advise you what to add. i.e. what is an alkaline product or substance that you could add to your soil.
Ivan
You can add lime, in it's natural form.
Rather than trying to correct the PH in you soil if it is very acid, you are probably better off looking for plants that will enjoy the acidity.
There are a lot of alkali hating plants out there that would grow in profusion in your soil!
Don't try to change it - just choose what is right for it!
Use gypsum or lime as an amendment or better yet, contact your local extension office for a list of native plants and adapted plants. these will save you a lot of future headaches.
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