A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Organic soil

We built a house one year ago here in Central Texas. Normally the soil is clay east of Interstate 35. Of course the builder brought in truckloads of crap dirt. (Actually I wish he had brought crap) You know what I mean, that sandy loam that doesn't grow anything but weeds, johnson grass and leftover bermuda. I have amended the soil with truck loads of compost, bags of Miracle Gro Garden Soil and one area with Peat Moss for acid loving plants. Every test I've done recently says the ph is 7-7.5 slightly alkaline. This, even after adding amendments to acidify the soil more. I know it takes a while, maybe a long time to acidify soil but I don't want to over do it. What do you guys use to acidify soil in the garden and then in your lawn? I want to get my soil in the garden down to 6.5 for the majority of the plants I grow. I've added so much I've got myself confused. I've also noticed that some plants don't grow so well in the Miracle Gro Garden Soil alone. Guess that's why it says to mix it 50-50 with existing garden soil, huh? There I went thinking again. Sometimes I think I have learned so much over the years that I don't know anything anymore. I want to stay organic with the acidifying products if I can but I do want it to work, suggestions?

I use garden sulfur around my hydrangeas, rhodies, azaleas, etc., but it would not really be economically feasible to use it on your lawn.

You're right on that! But garden sulfur is feasible for the garden plants and I'll give it a try. Would you suggest dry powder or the liquid spray? I think it's actually a combo of Iron and Sulfur in the liquid concentrate. My main interest is growing flowers, currently I'm enjoying Spider plants or Cleome. Discovered these last spring and loved their globular shape. Also have huge Butterfly Bush plants, budhelia (?) and Dinnerplate Dahlias. Gorgeous flowers.

The stuff I use I bought at Agway. It's actually pelletized granules of it. Made by Espoma.

Could you send me a box of your 7 7.5 sandy soil. I have some chinese lanterns and money plants that would just love to be growing in that. My soil is of course mostly acid clay. The roses love it.

Okay, this may seem wierd but I read that you can add vinegar to the soil to make it more acidic. I don't know if it has long-lasting effects or not but it could be quick fix if you were unable to get some of the "official" stuff.

Sarah

That's one of the major ingredients in homemade weed killer so it may not be a very good idea if you plan to plant anything there.

I'm not sure if the acidifying properties last, but the weed killing properties are very short lived. plants have to take up the vinegar. As I understand it, vinegar either evaporates or is dilluted by watering.

dave, you are right. it is most effective when sprayed on the plant in question during the hottest sunniest days. so, pouring it on the soil (if the soil needs a short term "shot" of acid) won't hurt the plants that go in the soil later.

Compost, even if it were made with every ingredient that was acidity, ie; pineneedles, leaves, etc... when done composting is more on the Alkaline side believe it or not..
In the breaking down process it turns it that way..

So, essentially, in my understanding of composting, you added alkaline...

Do what the guys above suggested..

but I would also find a source of chopped up pineneedles or straw, or chopped up leaves, and use it as a top dressing in the spring and side dressing for mulch during the summer months, to hold in moisture and to leach down over time...

Yes, that is true, but the slow and slower process is really the best for the plants, they are much more able to utilize those ingredients, than those of the chemical stuff...

Some plants, believe it or not, like "Crappy Soil" really lacking much of anything.. and when given the TOOOOOO RICH SOIL, they get stressed out....

The nice thing about compost is that it buffers the effects of pH. If a plant grows better in acid soil because certain nutrients are more readily available in acid soil, the micro-organisms in compost can make those nutrients available in slightly alkaline soil. The same goes for alkaline loving plants. pH is only really crucial if you have plants that are very acid or alkaline loving. You only want to get to 6.5. That's close enough to neutral, that compost should do the trick for you since your soil is 7-7.5.

Thank you all soooo much for the input! I learned something new from each of the above messages. Seriously!

Thanks a million and good luck gardening.