soil phd

[kittykat8]

someone tested one of my plots today it is the one with all the potatoes in, it ranged between 7 to 10 phd but mostly on the high end



Marion

[Paul Wagland]

Hi Marion - that's pretty high, meaning you have an alkaline soil. A pH of 7 is regarded as 'neutral', anything lower is acid.

Plants will grow in a wide range of pH but the most productive is probably slightly acid, say 6.5.

Your highest reading, pH 10, is hugely high. There is very little that will grow in those conditions. I would suspect the pH meter was a bit over-sensitive, or perhaps something very alkaline has been spilled on the soil (cement or mortar are common causes).

The best way to bring your soil pH into a good average range is simply to dig in plenty of organic matter.

[kittykat8]

the plot was quite bad very compact last year only grew runner beans on it , I put loads of manure on it , it was 10 where i put one bag of pigeon manure.

the soil now has plnt of depth , it was quickly measured by my neighbour with a testing kit from aldi, loads of potatoes in



marion

[SarzWix]

Another good way to make the soil a little more acid is to add lots of pine needles (preferably rotted down a bit). I've got quite a bit of this stuff in my back garden under the leylandii & I'm planning to add some to the bed where my potatoes are going as the Ph is a bit high there.

[kittykat8]

My potatoes are starting to come through the earlier ones I planted, does this mean that most of my potatoes will not grow


Marion

[Snadger]

Looking at the thread title I thought you were going to Horticultural college!

Sounds to me like someone had stuck the tester into a bag of lime.

It's not the end of the world for growing tatties but I would stick to the earlies unless you don't mind peeling off the scab.

A long time ago, when I got my first house, I totally gutted it and because skips were expensive to hire decided to create a feature with a big pile of plaster board and lathe and plaster which are both pure chalk. I put 4 inches iof soil on top of the heap and planted broad beans in it.
They were the best crop of broad beans I've ever had surprisingly which just goes to prove that no matter how alkaline your soil is..........stuff will grow!

Your fellow allotmenteers must be able to grow reasonable crops on similar soil so just keep adding acidifying manure and compost, not spent mushroom compost though as it's chalky
If you use acidifying feeds like sequestrene of iron and sulphate of ammonia, or possibly an off the shelf feed for use on erica's or blueberries, this will help to lower the Ph methinks.

[kittykat8]

I am going to get the soil tested next week , my soil is nearer to clay than chalky I think the tester from aldi is possibly wrong or maybe I put far to much manure on it, The whole allotment grows fine I just don't think the ground is 10 on my plot.

Marion

[JennieAtkinson]

kk8 - I've got alkaline soil - I think mine came out 7.5 - 8. I have great potatoes and very good cabbages! I find it easier to find out what grows well in alkaline soil and go for that. Trying to change the soil type is a nightmare and a continual job, so sometimes it is easier just to run with it. There is nothing in particular I miss growing, although I would love a garden full of Rhododendrums! The best thing is to see what everyone else around you is growing, that why you can work out what works best.

[kittykat8]

Thanks for all the replys , Our allotments grows everything, I think the reading is wrong or I may have messed the soil up on my plot this year, I put loads and loads of manure on it and now I think of it sprinked some some lime on it not much in December and scattered some potatoe fertliser on it.


Marion

[drichard12]

The stick in soil type Ph tester are not that accurate and be be off by a point or 2. I use a Hanna Ph tester +- 0.001 using the pour threw method and distilled water.

[Two_Sheds]

I've never tested my soil for a phD ... and have never had real trouble growing anything.

Ignorance is bliss!

[vegman]

When testing soil for PH, never let the soil sample touch your skin and never use metal spoons etc. If the gardens and veg plots around you are growing a good variety of plants then I guess the ph will be about average. If you apply lime in winter to where you will grow your brassicas the following year and practice rotation, everything should go well.

Regards,

Vegman

[mapcr77]

Looking at the thread title I thought you were going to Horticultural college!

LOL! I thought "that's a very clever soil!"

[bluemoon]

It sounds to me as if the testing equipment is seriously 'off', especially if you've manured the soil. If your spuds are growing, then they're probably happy, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Could there have been a wood ash fire in the area tested? This is how people in times past produced the lye for soap-making and is, to be honest, the only way I can think of obtaining a pH of 10 in your soil, short of heavily liming it.