Why did I buy pH test strips?
plllog
3 years ago
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My new pH meter: Accurate pH8
Comments (19)My buddy bought an Accurate 8 meter to test aside mine. When inserted into the same hole at various pH levels the two meters were within 0.2 pH units. Of course both could be wrong but the readings make sense relative to plant responses. Recently I tried blood meal for the first time on some potted blueberries. About a week later I took pH readings just to monitor things. At first I thought the meter was off because readings were high. But now I think the blood meal raised pH. After switching back to ammonium sulfate the pH is now back to the 4.5-5 I want. So I'm still pleased and think the meter has already paid for itself....See MorepH test kit/strips recommendation
Comments (11)That was my first thought -- that my water was very hard, and that it was going to take a LOT of vinegar to get it to the right pH. At that point, I began considering a stronger acid. In the meantime, I decided to go with a 1/4 cup of vinegar per gallon in the hope that this would be good enough. Soon thereafter, I began noticing chlorotic leaves on some rabbiteyes, and then it expanded to several highbush cultivars, as well. For a few reasons, this didn't make sense as high pH induced, and I began to wonder if I had the opposite problem. So I bought the General Hydroponics kit, tested my irrigation water (with fertilizer and 1/4 cup of vinegar per gallon), and discovered that the pH was below 4. I dialed back the vinegar until the color was in the 5.5 range, which turned out to be a ratio of approximately 1/2 to 3/4 tbsp of vinegar per gallon of water. I've been watering at that rate for several weeks now, and the formerly chlorotic leaves are greening up nicely. There might be another factor at play, but, at this point, I'm trusting the General Hydroponics reading....See MoreRed Cabbage pH testing
Comments (3)Thank you, Debbie for the positive feed back. Thank you, Gracin, for an excellent picture. I'm glad it helped you. Red cabbage is also useful to test the SURFACE soil pH, to prevent fungal growth. I don't have blackspots on roses mulched with horse manure, even with the year with 49" rain, plus 32" snow. My horse manure pH is 7.5 in spring, and pH 8 in late fall. My mediocre horse manure on woodchips bedding and lime has 2 advantages: 1) woodchips dries out faster than clay (staying wet longer means germinating fungi better). 2) Lime suppress fungal growth with its high pH and anti-fungal properties. I tested the surface pH around roses in relation to fungal growth, and the degree of surface wetness, mixed in with my soil pH 7.7: 1) surface wet rotten tomatoes (pH 4.5) - worst blackspot 2) surface Hollytone with sulfur mixed in - equally bad 3) surface wet alfalfa meal (pH 6) - second worst BS Wet decomposed leaves weren't bad, just a tiny bit of BS. University of Illinois documented the end result of decomposed leaves as slightly alkaline, and not neutral. Here's a research which explains why bagged cow manure is reported as very acidic (pH 4), or very alkaline (pH 8). Contrasting Soil pH Effects on Fungal and Bacterial Growth ��" 1 by Department of Microbial Ecology, Lund University, Sweden . 2. Soil Science Department, Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom. ABSTRACT The influence of pH on the two principal decomposer groups in soil, fungi and bacteria, was investigated ⦠This experimental location provides a uniform pH gradient, ranging from pH 8.3 to 4.0, within 180 m in a silty loam soil. .. The growth-based measurements revealed a fivefold decrease in bacterial growth and a fivefold increase in fungal growth with lower pH. ⦠Below pH 4.5 there was universal inhibition of all microbial variables." Here is a link that might be useful: Cheapest way to test soil pH using red cabbage This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Sat, Mar 2, 13 at 17:08...See MoreTesting Soil/Water pH
Comments (10)Iron becomes locked in insoluble compounds in high alkalinity, so the plants become chlorotic. The higher the alkalinity, the more chlorotic, therefore the more nearly white the foliage and flowers. Acidifying the soil releases the iron, resulting in more traditionally colored plants and flowers. Nitrogen acidifies as well as aluminum sulfate. Ironite has nitrogen and iron specifically formulated for our alkaline conditions. It's very difficult to burn with it, but it WILL permanently stain concrete, clothing, siding and patio furniture with rust from the iron. It's really good stuff and quite easy and effective to use. If your plants look the way you expect them to, everything is within their tolerance range. If they look washed out, you probably need to use it. I have used it on pretty much every kind of garden and specialty plant you can think of. Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Ironite...See Moreplllog
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