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Denver, CO

I just got permisson to plant on new patch of land. Yea!!!
Soil test came back at 5.9 PH. (Let me pause to wipe my tears . ..) OK, so I think that if I apply hydrated lime I can get the PH to change to close to 7.0 by around 3rd week of June.

Thus, my question is: Does the PH level for maximum uptake need to be in place the whole time the plant is growing or can it be ready at the time of fruit set and work out ok?

Thanks in advance.
ghopson427@yahoo.com

4/15/2008 7:37:49 PM

Lots of things to check in that new dirt with very little time left to do so, not having knowledge of your calcium level I would suggest using calcified lime at this point.

We see lots of "target shooting" here with folks trying to hit exact numbers, I personally think it's overdone. If you plan to grow in that soil for a few years build it right, take the time required to move things in the right direction. Many big fruit have grown with a pH of less than 7, why push it and set yourself up for correcting again next year?

I doubt there is a set goal for pH levels and "maximum uptake" to answer your question. All soils are different and pH varies on an almost dailey basis.

4/15/2008 7:58:51 PM

milford, CT,

ghopson...I had the same situation...I added 200 lbs of lime(per 1000 sq ft) and then did a soil test 2 weeks later...Gave me an idea of the effect of the lime...then I mace whatever adjustment necessary. I was shooting for 6.8 and endedn up at 6.9...trisl and error is good if you under shoot and then make a second adjustment. Mark

4/16/2008 11:17:31 AM

milford, CT,

Sorry about the typos...!

4/16/2008 11:18:25 AM

I should have stressed this in the first answer I added,,,talk to an agronomist,,, hopefully one from the lab that did your test. They get paid for making recommendations and are by far the best bet when making adjustments...the rest of us are just guessing at your soil type and it's requirements.

Trial and error is a pretty tough way to go about doing something this longlasting in your soil. Of couse you could post in a month asking how to lower the pH and get all kinds of info on that idea too,,,,,,,talk to a pro you'll be money and time ahead in the game.

4/16/2008 1:13:20 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Milford, just my opinion, but I don't 2 weeks will give you the full change. Regular lime can take months to change the pH to the full amount possible from the #s you put down. I would bet that in 2 more weeks, the pH has changed again. There are no quick and easy ways to do this properly. Unless really critical, I would leave pH changes to the off-season.

4/16/2008 1:18:50 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Same thing happened to us last year. We needed 200 lbs lime/1000sf. I used 100lbs dolomitic & 100lbs of Solucal which works much faster. Because it is caustic, I'm not a fan of trying to make large pH moves with hydrated lime.

4/16/2008 1:45:24 PM

President - GPC

Greg, Tremor makes a lot of sense, go slow, and how did you get 5.9 Ph soil in Colorado....Next to hot sulphur springs.....lol

4/16/2008 2:38:54 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I'm no expert but I bet that kind of change with lime will really wack out your calcium numbers and lock up all sorts of nutrients...slow and steady you'll get there.

4/16/2008 5:19:05 PM

Denver, CO

the soil test recomeneded 4000 pounds of limestone per acre? What does this convert to in 1000/sq/ft

4/16/2008 7:00:43 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

92 lbs per 1000 sq ft.

There's 43,560 sq ft in an acre so:

4000 lbs/acre divided by 43.56 = 91.8 lbs per 1000.

4/17/2008 12:58:08 AM

Puyallup, WA

Bear in mind that obtaining an "accurate" pH is easier said than done. Try sending three different soil samples to three different laboratories. You will likely receive three different readings. I figure that the number I get back is _+ .2

4/17/2008 2:56:55 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Your question > Does the PH level for maximum uptake need to be in place the whole time the plant is growing or can it be ready at the time of fruit set and work out OK?

A. Yes & No, we all would certainly like to see pH levels near the optimum range it practically never happens over 100% of the area of most of todays patches. What is optimum anyways? Every patch is different. As far as growing the AGP you can supplement the deficient nutrients by reading or testing the leaves and foliar feeding as required. There is to a large degree an amount of restriction you will be dealing with of course at such a low pH level.

The main drawbacks to such a low level IMHO is the restricted colonization of fungi on the roots and the hindered bacteria growth within the rhizosphere. These are two of the main components in what is mainstream acceptance in growing todays modern day large monsters.

can you grow at this level of pH yes absolutely.
can you move the soil a few points by fruit set yes.
can you grow a biggen yes but with extra care.

4/20/2008 8:55:41 PM

Statesville, Nc

So am I getting this right. Nething over 7 is a good ph range?

4/21/2008 12:00:20 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Over 7 is still OK too. The very important bacteria thrive in slightly alkaline soil conditions. It is possible to grow very large AGP's in soil as high as 7.8 provided you have a good organic climate in the soil. I believe in fact that the next trend will be to grow in soils from 7 to 7.6 to take advantage of bacterial growth.

4/21/2008 1:55:06 PM

Statesville, Nc

My whole back yard is in that range. Lol... I just got my seeds from Ron toooo ..... HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM LOL.

4/21/2008 4:30:00 PM