Quote:
Originally Posted by dmforcier
I agree with Worth. That pH isn't out of line. My dirt in GA was that acidic, and most plants did very well there. Peppers in particular seem to like acidic soil, and tomatoes should too. (I didn't grow in un-amended soil and didn't take pH readings from what I was growing it, but I didn't try to change the pH.)
Further, while making a small alteration to the pH is doable, making a major alteration like a full point or more is a considerably more difficult task. Remember, there's all that acid soil around your grow area leaching all that highly acidic water into your tomato beds. If you're in a relatively isolated environment like raised beds, you might try it. But frankly, I don't see the point.
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Good point. The "plot" thickens. I do not see any ill effects from the low pH value. This is indeed a series of raised beds, so an isolated sample may not be telling. I do grow a patch of peppers, and they are doing fine. All plants are individually fertilized with granular plant tone and perform well. I did have a rash of disease this year with heirloom varieties, but regional assessment says I fared better than anyone else I know, or at the huge community garden (which had 100% total loss). For some reason it was a very tough year in the mid-south.
The native soil is acidic and "city" water is also acidic. Agree that any attempt to alter may be temporary in nature, but also do not see any harm in mixing in some lime. In the future building of raised beds, it might behoove to line the bottom of bed with coarse ag lime to act as buffer from native.
I'm not expecting for dramatic improvement, or much increase in the pH, one point would be quite a bit.