Acidify soil - Irrigate with lemon juice?
insipidtoast
13 years ago
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PaperFinch
13 years ago
lazy_gardens
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Blueberry watering - mix vinegar or lemon peel to acidify water
Comments (87)"The article mentions many acetates, but not calcium acetate, so it proves nothing. As a matter of fact all the molecules mentioned, none have calcium." It proves everything the calcium is irrelevant because in organic and biological chemistry the reactions are solvated and the metal cation doesnâÂÂt directly participate in the reaction. "And remember it's about changing it back to bicarb, not metabolizing the acetate. You're going to have to show me how they change it to bicarb." The end product of acetate metabolism is carbon dioxide that dissolves in water to make carbonic acid. "That may be so, but that doesn't mean that vinegar and sulfur are responsible for their failures. If used properly, both can be effective ways of addressing the pH needs of blueberries." Your right but it just seemed with the extreme hard water that I have in my area that vinegar and sulfur didnâÂÂt seem to be enough. My brother is a big aquarium nut and is always testing the water for hardness, ph etc. He has tested the local water many times for hardness and it goes off the chart, literally his testing supplies canâÂÂt go that high. So it just goes back to the view that what works for some people isnâÂÂt always going to work for other people. To me using sulfuric acid is no big deal. I have had plenty of experience using dangerous chemicals and I actually already have some sulfuric acid....See MoreAcidifiers
Comments (36)Used coffee grounds are Ph neutral, its the coffee itself that is acidic. But just like adding vinegar, its only a temp fix. Unless you are using bags of used coffee grounds mulched into the soil or composted, used coffee will only have a temporary effect on Ph unless you do it all the time. Now if you do it on a constant basis it will lower the Ph of soil by adding OM to the soil and creating a healthy environment for earth worms:-) Ive been using the remains of my morning and daily coffee grounds (with some liquid coffee left) around my garden for about a year now. The spots I have been treating have become nice and black and the plants seem to be doing pretty good. I have only recently been adding around my citrus. To begin to lower the Ph of my soil around acid loving plants/trees this is what I did: Removed any grass in an area 4'x4' around any Citrus tree Laid down a general purpose 10-10-10 slow release granule fertilizer containing ammonium sulfate On top of that I laid composted steer manure (Wish I had some finished compost to top this with) On top of that I covered with pine bark nuggets When I water I use apple cider vinegar to lower the Ph of my water to 6.3 (I know its only temporary but it helps I'll eventual get some Ph down product) I use a 20-20-20 liquid fertilizer with micro's to foliage spray and feed around the tree at half strength every 2 weeks to 1 month during the growing season. I also have some compost cooking and I cant wait until its ready to use:-) I just recently began adding to my new plots for citrus the Epsoma Citrus Tone and Acidifier. We will see how that works. I do know from the above that my soil in the past month has dropped almost more than .5 It was over 7.8 and now its at around 7.0-7.2. The rest of my soil around my yard is right around 8. And I think thats kinda high for what I grow....See MoreDwarf Meyer Lemon with chlorosis
Comments (1)Hi ernie85017, Yellowing of leaves or chlorosis can be caused by a number of things. Watering is always on the top of the list so in order to rule it out you'll want to start there. This time of year citrus need watered about once every two weeks as long as the water is soaking down deeply into the soil. The ideal depth is 3 feet, which creates a moisture zone that takes a while to dry out and enables you to water less often. It also encourages deep roots and the water carries salts down below the root zone. Salt accumulation can be lethal to plants. The easiest way to water deeply is to create a 6 inch berm around the tree at the drip line. Some folks like to add a second berm about 12 inches away from the trunk to prevent water from reaching it. Filling the basin should provide adequate water for your citrus. Here's a link to the University of Arizona bulletins on citrus (including irrigation) http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/pubs.htm#Citrus Nitrogen and iron are necessary to produce nice green leaves but soils that are too moist can prevent absorption of these and other nutrients. That's why its important to let the soil dry out a bit in between waterings. We're talking wrung-out-sponge dry, not bone dry. It's also a good idea to add a 3-4 inch layer of organic mulch or compost over the soil in the basin. This will slow evaporation, keep soils cool in summer, release nutrients as it decomposes and helps to lower the pH. Lack of nitrogen usually causes yellowing of older leaves while lack of iron is seen in the new growth. To be beneficial to the plant, iron must be in an absorbable form. Ironite doesn't provide this but your chelated iron will. Here's information on nutrient deficiencies in citrus. I hope it helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Common citrus nutrient deficiencies and herbicide symptoms...See MoreCanning tomatoes - no lemon juice on hand
Comments (14)Wow! Didn't mean to start a brouha! ;) Just to stress the import of using the required acid. But discussing the acidity of a tomato in the context of taste as was the case in the quote above and in the context of canning are 2 very different situations. Numerous 'acid taste' discussions come up on the Tomato Forum. Can one taste the differences in acidic pH? NO. Can it make a difference in canning? Possibly if one is doing whole jars of yellow tomatoes and IF they are one of the higher pH varieties. But if you add the required acid to the jars then it is a moot point. The pH range of all tomato varieties is very narrow - something like 4.3-4.9 so no we aren't talking a huge diff here and it is very true that growing conditions can change the end pH of the fruit. But yes, there are charts of tested tomato pH's on the web - posted here in the past and in the full discussion that is linked below. But based on those tests and the obvious limitations of them, only a few reds (most commercial) fall into the highest range while several yellows do - again based only on the test results of a specific set of growing conditions so your results may vary. ;) And that variance is yet another reason that the acid is required. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Acidity...See More
kingkongos
13 years agoKimmsr
13 years ago
annpat
13 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agoinsipidtoast
13 years agoKimmsr
13 years ago
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
13 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agoinsipidtoast
13 years agoTheMasterGardener1
13 years ago
Lauren Crosariol
7 years ago
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