fruitnut: no problem, I am not even sure if blueberries are able to uptake heavy metals. I know they are indifferent to aluminum. Was just wondering about the runoff from the potted plants. About lead in IroniteÂyes I have heard that. I will not use it because of that fact. It might be safe for a lawn, but suppose next year you want to put a garden there, or use the clippings for mulch. Which leads me to olpeaÂs comment; yes most industrial grade agents contain some heavy metals and possible PBBÂect. Just how many PPM would depend on the manufacture, and with most industrial liquids made in China or Mexico where product safety is the last thing on their mindsÂÂah I would just pick up some sulfur as opposed to sending battery acid out for lab analysis. I mean hey, I am feeding this stuff to my kids and eating it myself....so cost plays second fiddle, to safety IMHO.

This is where you gotta have your soil test results handy... The key here is Your current PH and the soil's "Buffer PH" -- If your actual PH is close to your Buffer PH -- You are up against the proverbial "Brick wall" -- A huge amount of acid or base won't change the PH much.... If your actual soil PH is farther away from your Buffer PH -- you will be able to swing it fairly easily (Though it will swing back just as easily....) In the case of My soil -- PH = 5.0, Buffer PH = 7.2, so I could make a little amendment to raise or lower my soil PH by a considerable amount fairly easily, but it will swing back just as easily.... until I get close to 7.2... where it will stabilize and SIT if I get it there (Which I really don't want....) Now... On Muriatic acid -- It is just HCl -- Hydrochloric acid... It is a "Strong" acid... so it certainly does have the power to change your soil's actual PH... All the way past "Tingly" where it will rot rubber tires... Unfortunately, there is another magical thing called "Common Ion Effect" -- which is how Water softeners work.... which means when this gigantic amount of Chloride hits the soil -- it dissolves very well and kicks everything else out of solution... It makes many other minerals precipitate out (Bind up)... (stuff like Nitrates, sulphates, Stuff your plants need to live... etc...) You may be better off mixing in a bunch of Peat moss, pine needles, and sulphur, and then fertilizing with "Camellia, Azalea, and Rhododendron" fertilizer.... Thanks John

Danny, I think with growing your mosses that you would be better off with an r/o unit and hand sprinkle them with the more acidic pH. The best thing about r/o water is that salts and most contaminants are filtered out (depending upon the type of filter being used). With tap water it is not just the pH but the percentages of salts in the water that may be impacting your mosses. Look for telltale signs of any salt accumulation on the soil around your mossy rocks. There are mosses that do well with a more alkaline habitat but I do not know what they are. I suspect these are species that occur in more specialized habitats such as in the desert and I would suspect that they would not do as well in your particular situation. But I am only surmising. This topic suggests a possible experiment as to whether or not it is the pH or the presence of salts in tap water that is the real culprit in your browning mosses. To isolate use steam-distilled water with a pH that is adjusted to 8 and use a test batch of moss to determine if comparable results are encountered. In the meantime don't use tap water.

First I'd contact the county agent and get some pH testing liquid. Around $4 a bottle. Follow the instructions to lower the pH. Soil in pots are such small quanities that it's easy to overdo it. (3lbs sulphur lowers pH by one unit per 1000 sq.ft.). I'd stick with slightly acid peat moss, or vinegar at the rate of i Tablespoon/ gallon for just one watering. The Great Lakes and adjoining land are all pH 7.4, just interested, what's yours? Doug