adding lime to change soil ph

xxbxrxextxtxx

xxbxrxextxtxx

Well-Known Member
ok i have been watering my plants with properly phed water. but my soil ph stays high. im using happy frog. and have everything in cloth pots and could prolly put a few mor inches of soil in the pot now that the plants r bigger. can i mix lime into some soil and add it to the top of the soil to lower the ph. and if so how much should i add? its at 7.5 -8 and its causing a few issues
 
MidnightJoker

MidnightJoker

Well-Known Member
Lime will in fact reduce your alkaline levels. Not sure how much to use but I would suggest getting a PH meter and starting with small amounts. Good luck.
 
luciferateme

luciferateme

Active Member
what sort of ph meter are you using and is it calibrated properly. if your using a soil testing kit which changes colour then dont believe what it says, my one kept lieing to me!
good luck x (fucked if im writing your full name)
lu
 
Stalwart

Stalwart

Well-Known Member
There is no maximum really what you will get if you get to a level that buffers the soil is 6.86 which is the ph of carbonate which is what your blood is also. Bicarb of Soda or Baking soda is smaller grained and more available. if you use that just mix in water and immediately after swishing it around deliver it to the plants and then add soil if you want.

Muffy the assertion you make is an excellent reason to relate this dicta of general chemistry ie " a weak acid is a base to a strong acid." ie it's all in where you are looking at unless you remember the ph of the substance you are adding.
 
Muffy

Muffy

Active Member
I'm pretty sure lime is way over neutral. I should say that if your pH is already too high then adding lime won't help. It will in fact make it more difficult to get to where you want to be and stay.
 
kingofqueen

kingofqueen

Well-Known Member
Muffy said:
I'm pretty sure lime is way over neutral. I should say that if your pH is already too high then adding lime won't help. It will in fact make it more difficult to get to where you want to be and stay.
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Umm lime is acidic it lowers the ph of akaline soil etc. That's one of the reasons we use dolomite lime in our soil .
Sulpher is akaline it raises your soil ph . Where do you get your info from ? All he needs to do is top dress with dolomite lime and water with ph'ed water .
 
kingofqueen

kingofqueen

Well-Known Member
xxbxrxextxtxx said:
when u say top dress do u just mean sprinkle it on top or sould i mixitwith somesoil first and add it to the pots?
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Yeah topdress is just sprinkling it on top . Then water it in . The lime will keep your soil ph from rising above 7 . Just remember to pre mix it in your soil next time . Be sure its dolomite lime not quick lime though .
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
kingofqueen said:
Umm lime is acidic it lowers the ph of akaline soil etc. That's one of the reasons we use dolomite lime in our soil .
Sulpher is akaline it raises your soil ph . Where do you get your info from ? All he needs to do is top dress with dolomite lime and water with ph'ed water .
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That is exactly opposite. LOL Lime is alkaline, or neutral with a pH of 7 (dolomite) and Garden sulfur is acidic and used to lower pH in soils.

But, you are right AFA all he needs to do is top dress with the dolo. It will bring the soil pH to ~7.

Wet
 
kingofqueen

kingofqueen

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
That is exactly opposite. LOL Lime is alkaline, or neutral with a pH of 7 (dolomite) and Garden sulfur is acidic and used to lower pH in soils.

But, you are right AFA all he needs to do is top dress with the dolo. It will bring the soil pH to ~7.

Wet
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Right LOL .
 
xxbxrxextxtxx

xxbxrxextxtxx

Well-Known Member
i was doing a litle researching and has any ones used hydratred sulfur? i wold liike to get my soil slightly below 7 so i was wondering if this would b a better solution to my issue?
 
kingofqueen

kingofqueen

Well-Known Member
Sulper will help lower your soil PH . Lime raises low PH is what I should have said b4 . Sorry stoner moment . But never tryed to do it that way . Best to top dress with the dolo lime then PH your water to 6 -6.8 the lime will stabilize it . Better yet let em dry out then flush with water phed to 5.8 after top dressing that will stabilize it . Did it last week on a plant that had wandered off on me .
 
LokoLoki

LokoLoki

Member
kingofqueen said:
Umm lime is acidic it lowers the ph of akaline soil etc. That's one of the reasons we use dolomite lime in our soil .
Sulpher is akaline it raises your soil ph . Where do you get your info from ? All he needs to do is top dress with dolomite lime and water with ph'ed water .
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Wait, this is getting confusing here. Lime, the fruit, is acidic. Lime, the mineral is alkaline and will raise your soil pH.
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
xxbxrxextxtxx said:
i was doing a litle researching and has any ones used hydratred sulfur? i wold liike to get my soil slightly below 7 so i was wondering if this would b a better solution to my issue?
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Hydrated anything is not a good idea to use, just way too hot.

Use the dolomite lime. It's normally used to raise pH, but its pH is 7.0 and will lower the pH of soils above that.

Unless you are west of the Rockies and growing in the ground, I would avoid the sulfur.

Your mix is usually acidic and I really question whatever you are using to measure the pH. "I" think you are trying to correct a wrong pH reading.

But, whatever it is, the dolomite lime will put you where you want to be, pHwise.

KoQ, LOL, I figured you were buzzed when you wrote that, since I know that you know what you're talking about.

Wet
 
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