Soil slurry test results

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steveydvee

Well-Known Member
Got a peat based soil and I’ve been running some tests on it.

I used my well water (17 ppm) and measures around neutral ph 7 to conduct the soil slurry test. Used 1/3 soil and 2/3 water. The soil slurry reading was around 5.5 for the unlimed mix so I added different amounts of oyster flour shell to 3 separate 1 gallon pots then took a small sample.

Test 1: 1 tablespoon of oyster flour brought the reading up to 6.2

Test 2: 2 tbs of OFS brought it up to 6.3

Test 3: 3 tbs of OFS brought it up to 6.4

The reading I’m getting is that the soil ph?

Is there some math I gotta do like let’s say I started with 7 ph water mixed it in with the soil the reading comes out at 6.5 does that mean the soil ph is somewhere from 5-5.5?
 
foreverflyhi

foreverflyhi

Well-Known Member
Hey my dude, I'm not trying to argue or put down your notes.
I'm sure maybe this method might get you in the "ball park" of ph. But in all truth, it's really not accurate at all. The PH your reading is the waters ph, not your soil. If you want a accurate ph test, send your soil sample to a soil testing lab. These companies use multi thousand dollar machines that are capable of reading ph and nitrate levels. Some universities do it free. Just have to look around.
 
G

guitarguy10

Well-Known Member
steveydvee said:
Got a peat based soil and I’ve been running some tests on it.

I used my well water (17 ppm) and measures around neutral ph 7 to conduct the soil slurry test. Used 1/3 soil and 2/3 water. The soil slurry reading was around 5.5 for the unlimed mix so I added different amounts of oyster flour shell to 3 separate 1 gallon pots then took a small sample.

Test 1: 1 tablespoon of oyster flour brought the reading up to 6.2

Test 2: 2 tbs of OFS brought it up to 6.3

Test 3: 3 tbs of OFS brought it up to 6.4

The reading I’m getting is that the soil ph?

Is there some math I gotta do like let’s say I started with 7 ph water mixed it in with the soil the reading comes out at 6.5 does that mean the soil ph is somewhere from 5-5.5?
Click to expand...
Is it a soil pH meter, like this: https://bluelab.com/usa/bluelab-soil-ph-pen

Or just a regular pH meter? Only a soil pH meter will give you accurate slurry pH, not just a regular pH meter.
 
foreverflyhi

foreverflyhi

Well-Known Member
Blue labs have a stronger shell for the soil ph probe, it's still only reads water ph. Kinda a false product.
 
Bukvičák

Bukvičák

Well-Known Member
If he has Bluelab soil pH pen than there is no point to do soil slurry test, you can easily measure soil pH directly with accurate results. Slurry test gives you also accurate mesurement but it has some “rules” to be done properly like distiled or RO water must be used, stirred properly for specific time and than let it sit for specific time and measure the liquid between lowest and top layers after sedimentation and wait for stabile reading without mixing it and that is your result. You can do it good but you can do it also wrong very easily. To get more accurate readings is better to do the slurry with more samples and than go mathematicaly...
 
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