Quote:
Originally Posted by brownrexx
I am a believer in giving plants the pH that they prefer. Yes, plants may grow in an unfavorable pH but they will grow BETTER in one that they like and the flavor may be different too.
Healthy and happy plants are also less susceptible to pests and disease in my opinion.
Native soils in some areas of the country can have either a higher or lower pH than is preferred by tomatoes but remember that tomatoes are not a native plant so it makes sense that we would have to adjust soil pH to give them optimal conditions for the best growth and flavor.
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Ok, and who says which ph they prefer? Who says what is optimal? Is it practical without side effects to change it? Raising ph is easy, lowering is not so easy. Most plants are not fussy at all regarding ph and will grow anywere out of the extremes. I think tomatoes fall in this category. Soil life will also let plants push the official limits. Yes, not everything will grow under 5 or over 9.
My plants look happy and healthy to me, and I feel they must be pleased as most of my tomatoes taste quite good. I mean, I don't think I would get some non-cherries with brix over 10 if they were not happy.
I've seen the same issue with orange trees. Books saying it's impossible to grow them over X ph ... and then, you go to Valencia region in Spain, and everybody has higher ph than that. Should they start adding sulfur like crazy, or forget about the book?
Before playing with soil, I would analyze plant leaves and see if they are missing anything, and then, study if changing ph is the answer. The only safe thing I would do, is adding organic matter.