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Colorado

so does water pH effect soil pH?

My city water pH is around 8, and soil pH has been around 7.3-7.5. Does the water pH play a roll in my inability to lower my soil pH, or is it all that free lime in the colorado soil, LOL!

3/17/2007 12:13:45 AM

Arcola, IL, USA

I had ran a soil test three years ago. I had ph around 6.8.... I watered that year with city water such as yours and next year my ph was 7.9.... I have been asking different sources that tell me that high water can raise soil ph.... I am not an expert but that is what I have been told........

3/17/2007 11:30:48 AM

Waitakere New Zealand

we grow roses under glass in bags of pumice and spend a lot of time and effort montoring ph of the water into and runoff from the gutters so yes water ph does effect the media ph

3/18/2007 5:24:32 AM

Rhode Island

there are ph adjustment systems you can buy to correct the high ph used on your patch.
i have never looked deeply into the system but i do know they exist.
pap

3/18/2007 8:17:17 AM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

Longmont Pete, I add a miracid in water soluble form about twice a month. plus I add soil solphur once a month in the summer.
But to answer your question, yes it makes a difference. Since Colorado is so dry(average rainfall/precepitation of 15inches a yr somtimes less) WE are forced to water more. With all of this snow melt we had this yr, I wonder if it took any PH with it hahaha lol.

3/18/2007 11:05:40 AM

southwest MO

Consider to the Carbonates in the water... These control buffering capacity. Be sure to look at alkalinity and hardness. The higher these numbers are the more they will contribute to raiseing your soil ph.(the higher they are the less your soil will be able to resist) Think of it in terms of your ph is just a way to measure the way the carbonates are effecting the soil.
I too am on county water that comes from a well about 1300'. My ph is around 8. Im going to be experimenting this spring and summer with some different acids and such to try to bring down the ph especially when foliar applying pest and funicides.

3/18/2007 11:30:00 AM

Ontario, Canada.

There does not seam to be a lot of information about this topic available on the web. The general consensus would be yes. But without the proper information I don't think we can say for sure.

I was told two years ago by Ian Mclauglin at AL labs that my water with a pH of 8.4 was of little concern. I never really trusted this advice and again had more patch fruit BES problems in 2006. This after adding reams of Gypsum to boost Ca and sulfer to lower my soil pH. But what do I know.

I tryed to follow this rule of thumb. The water you use should have a PH of between seven and six. Water that has a high PH (above seven) neutralizes many pesticides and locks up trace elements. pH level of 6.5 or slightly acidic is ideal to most plants because nutrients are most readily available between a range of six to seven. So naturally assuming, I would want to use water in this range. "Bad water pH" is going to be a bigger problem for you if you're trying to grow hydroponically, it will be much less of a problem with plants growing in soils with good buffer capacity. IMHO.....

Below is a very good article on the effects of plants when using high pH water. It is a good read and answers your question but may also raise a few as well.


http://www.umass.edu/umext/floriculture/fact_sheets/greenhouse_management/waterph.html

3/18/2007 6:59:17 PM