Sulfur calculation to lower soil pH

13 years ago

Just got back the results from the soil test and the pH came out to be 7.2.

The soil is sandy loam and it has established roses in it. The plants did not look very healthy this year.

I need to get the pH to between 6.2 - 6.8 and the recommendation is :-

Elemental sulfur at a maximum

rate of 1 pound per 1000 square feet. Follow sulfur applications with frequent watering (if rainfall is not

adequate) during subsequent weeks to keep the soil moist and distribute acidity to depth in the soil. Up to three

applications may be made to established plantings in a growing season, with treatments at least 8 weeks apart.

I found the Espoma soil acidifier at the box store which has

Sulfur (S) .........................................................................................................................................................30%

18% ................................................................................................................................................Free Sulfur

12%.......................................................................................................................................Combined Sulfur

with a recommendation of 12lbs/100sqft for 1 point reduction in pH

The area of the bed is close to 100 sqft and the county extension told me to apply 1 cup of elemental sulfur to this area for my soil type.

I am stuck at translating the soil acidifier instructions to elemental sulfur instructions. Does 30% translate to .3 pounds of elemental sulfur per pound of the acidifier? So since I need only .1 pound of elemental sulphur, that should translate to 1/3 pound of the acidifier. Which is very different from the 12lbs recommended on the product.

Definitely missing something here!!!!

I have also attached the test report in text format. TIA

Here is a link that might be useful: soil test report

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Comments (8)

gargwarb
13 years ago
Don't pay too much attention to the one-size-fits-all label rate. The extension's rate sounds reasonable to me.
The 18% free sulfur is the only sulfur in the product that you posted that will work towards acidifying the soil. The rest is in the form of gypsum, which won't effect the pH.
Calculating it with 18% sulfur rather than 30 to gets you 0.55 lbs. of the product per 100 sq. ft.
greensingh
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, I will stick with the recommendations of the county extension then.
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I'm posting on this OLD post because it still comes up at the top of google search for "citrus peels lower soil ph" ... I have been doing tests with Citrus Peels.... I have found that about 30 good size grapefruit peels blended up in a blender (lots of batches of blending) with half water/half citrus in the end, produces a good acid base. I did enough to fill 30% of a 5 gallon bucket, which I then diluted to a full 5 gallons of liquid. This was then diluted 5 fold to register a drop in pH of 1 for the water... This diluted citric acid can be used similarly to sulfuric acid dilute. There is a company here that sells Moon Juice which is a combination of sulfuric acid + iron and other trace minerals... It's used for temporarily lowering the ph so trees and shrubs and such can uptake iron and other minerals that lock out at alkaline pH Levels... Given that we're in the southwest we have an ABUNDAND supply of citrus and over time, this is the same effect the trees fruit would give to the soil if there were no humans to tend to and pick the fruit... the fruit would rot on the ground, the citric acid would leach out into the ground as it decomposes and maintain a more acidic soil balance for the trees long term support... So can you use citric acid to dilute, yes you can, though, just like with a sulfuric acid dilute, you're going to need to apply it regularly (monthly or so depending on ph plant/etc) until the bacteria that feed on the sulfur have had enough time to lower the soils actual ph levels ... Something that seems to be long forgotten as I read some of these posts is... all living things have a pH, you can burn things by dropping ph too fast, or by raising too fast, so obviously some of the responses regarding putting acid next to the roots are appropriate, they are also inappropriate because your obviously not going to dump straight acid on anything unless your intention is to utilize the full strength of the acid :P Good Luck! Would love to hear about what you've done and how it's developed since your original questions!
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It helps to know something of the natural history of your area. For example, our soil, here in Madison, Wisconsin, was once a seabed, during a long period when much of North America was covered by saltwater. We have two layers of limestone, formed from the leftover seashells and diatoms that sank to the bottom when the creatures died. Our native soil has a pH around 7.6, and our garden is healthy and productive, with only compost added to help loosen up the clay. Our compost starts out with shredded maple tree leaves, and there is also yard waste added, but not very much nitrogen source. I suspect that there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of folks in the midwest gardening successfully in soil similar to ours. However, we also grow blueberries, and we are using agricultural sulfur to lower soil pH, down to the range: 4.5 - 6.5, essential for blueberry success. Its not that hard to lower soil pH, but you will need to learn how to measure soil pH, so you know where the soil is at, before and after applications of sulfur.
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ericwi
13 years ago
I am using agricultural sulfur to lower pH around our blueberry shrubs, for 14 years now, so I know how to apply and also how to measure pH. Sulfur is not an acid, it must be metabolized by bacteria in the soil, and slowly converts to sulfuric acid, over time, typically one year. The soil pH will be variable during this time, and after all the sulfur has been used up, it will very gradually rise, due to the effect of the surrounding soil and subsoil. If you are watering your roses with tap water that contains calcium and/or magnesium, then the pH will rise over time. Soil pH can be measured by taking a soil sample, mixing it with distilled water, and filtering the mixture to get about one teaspoon of filtrate. This sample is then mixed with several drops of bromothymol blue indicator, and the resulting color indicates the pH. Blue = pH 7.6, or higher. Yellow = pH 6.0, or lower, and varying shades of green mean the pH is between 6.0 and 7.6.
Kimmsr
13 years ago
Theoretically the percent of sulfur is that much in each boc or bag you buy. In this case, if what you purchased is a one pound box, 30 percent of that would be sulfur or roughly one third of the box. Then to meet that 1 pound per 1,000 ft2 need you would need to purchase about 3 1 pound boxes.
mnten
13 years ago
ericwi,how much sulfer do you put around each blueberry bush? Do you apply each year?
ericwi
13 years ago
This reply is for mntenz7tn, above. Each blueberry shrub gets 6 ounces, by volume, of agricultural sulfur in the bottom of the hole, at time of planting. After the shrub is in the ground, I put another 6 ounces, by volume, of agricultural sulfur, covering the ground to a radius of 16 inches. Next I apply about 6 inches of shredded tree leaves as mulch, so the sulfur is covered up. The initial application is good for two or three years, and after that, I might apply 1/4 cup of sulfur, every other year, but only if a soil pH test indicates a need. Our native soil is quite alkaline, pH = 7.6, and our tap water also has pH = 7.6. I test the soil around our blueberry shrubs twice a year, in the early spring, and again in the fall.
Victoria Martell
3 years ago
ph at 7.8--1750 sq foot how much sulfur
toxcrusadr
3 years ago
What's your pH goal Victoria?

Sulfur calculation to lower soil pH

Comments (8)

gargwarb

greensingh
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Sulfur calculation to lower soil pH

Comments (8)

gargwarb

greensinghOriginal Author

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ericwi

Kimmsr

mnten

ericwi

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toxcrusadr

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greensingh
Original Author