Ph good number?
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DonH
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No, 8.0 is bad.
dkh2
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My soil test results always target a PH of 6.5 for the ideal PH for Tobacco
There are many recommendations for pH. They usually are between 5.8 to 6.8 with Burley usually recommended to be at 6.6. The lower you go with pH the more you become susceptible to manganese toxicity and more likely to be subject to nutrient differences. This is why its important to get a complete soil analysis done, it will give more of a "complete" picture.
SmokeStack
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Are you guys measuring your own soil pH? Or are you sending them to a lab? If sending to a lab, how much does it cost and which lab are you using?
Both. I test my own regularly. Twice a year I send samples to the CT Ag Ext Svc. They do tests for CT residents for free. Perhaps Mich has a similar service. I don't have one of the Ph solid state testers but I understand they are pretty good.
John
DonH
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I found a nifty electronic PH soil tester which I like a lot. Cost $20 but you can test virtually unlimited times. It also tests "fertility" but doesn't break down between N P and K. But I think the ph test is very accurate and I like the fact that I can test every few feet if I want. I am on the road but when I get home I will get the brand name.
What makes you think it is accurate? The only way to know for sure is to buy buffer solutions, typically a ph of4, 7 and 10 and use them to calibrate or confirm the accuracy of your meter. I just went through this drill this past spring and it wasn't until the 5th meter ( and lots of wasted money) that I found one that was accurate.
DonH
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Accurate enough for me. I can take dozens or readings in different places on the property and in potting soil not to mention water and it seems right. It's a he'll of a lot more accurate than those little vials that you put dirt and solution in and try to figure out the color. The readings ony device are very consistent too.
SmokeStack
Well-Known Member
What was the make and model of the fifth pH meter?
And what procedure are you using to measure the soil pH. I would imagine that you would have to take a soil sample (and let it oven-dry for consistent results?) and dissolve the sample in a specified amount of deionized water and then take the pH of the resulting solution?
I use a swimming pool test kit. I do not dry the sample. My assumption is the moisture in the soil is at the same Ph as the soil. I do not use deionized water. I use collected filtered rain water. By itself it tests neutral. I take half a jelly jar full of soil and fill it with rain water. I shake it for a few seconds, filter the result thru a coffee filter and test. As long as my reagents are fresh (I buy a bottle every year) my tests agree pretty closely with the results from the CT AG service (+/- 0.4).
John
dkh2
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This is my soil test from earlier this year
Rayshields
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I have heard of it for blueberries.
I will get back to you guys with the model/make of the pH tester I have that I like (in a few days). I would personally not use vinegar for pH adjustments. After getting a soil analysis I would add nutrients that will lower the pH AND that your plants will use. These could be sulfur, ammonium sulfate or even aluminum sulfate (expensive). One thing to remember when using "soil acidyfiers" is that too much, too soon and you will kill all your beneficial micro organisms. If you need to lower your pH a lot, whatever you use, add it in several doses, several months apart.
oeno
Member
From my research for lowering soil pH is elemental sulfur for the short term and compost for the long term. Compost takes years to work but is permanent. The sulfur works fast but may only last a year or two. Here is an interesting read http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/lowerpH.html Also for pH meters Hann is a good inexpensive company.
andrewislord
Well-Known Member
Where was I reading that 5.9 was the target ph? I've been doing that for a while. 6.5 would be great as it was I ph everything else around anyway.
Ph meters.
I've been using one for years now. They work well. They are cheaply made unless you buy a really expensive one. I don't like the strips. I've been using a Hanna Phep for a few years now. I take about a dozen readings a day. They last usually between 4 and 8 months. But they have a warranty for a year so you can get another one. Oh, they're about $40 on amazon.
Vinegar.
I've been using vinegar to lower the ph of my water for years and it works. But it doesn't work for very long. After a while the ph will start to rise again. But I water about every 3 days(not tobacco) so this isn't a probem. Apple cider vinegar. It's cheaper and safer than ph down. My filtered water usually comes out somewhere between 8.1 and 8.5. Depending on how much fertilizer I always end up using either vinegar or ph up.
Ph meters.
I've been using one for years now. They work well. They are cheaply made unless you buy a really expensive one. I don't like the strips. I've been using a Hanna Phep for a few years now. I take about a dozen readings a day. They last usually between 4 and 8 months. But they have a warranty for a year so you can get another one. Oh, they're about $40 on amazon.
Vinegar.
I've been using vinegar to lower the ph of my water for years and it works. But it doesn't work for very long. After a while the ph will start to rise again. But I water about every 3 days(not tobacco) so this isn't a probem. Apple cider vinegar. It's cheaper and safer than ph down. My filtered water usually comes out somewhere between 8.1 and 8.5. Depending on how much fertilizer I always end up using either vinegar or ph up.
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