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Halifax, Nova Scotia

Just had 12 yards of soil delivered to my house yesterday. Brought a sample into work this morning, PH is at 4.86. I'm going to check the ph again in a few different areas after I've spread the pile however, assuming my PH is approximately 5, can somebody suggest an amount of Lime or similar to bring the PH of this soil up to reasonable levels? If it makes a difference, I have about 30 bags of mulched leaves waiting to go in, and I'll likely be adding used coffee grinds and a load of manure at some point this fall as well.

11/3/2004 9:32:15 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

How did that soil get tested at work?

11/3/2004 9:43:01 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If you are going to get that much dirt I would suggest a simple soil test before purchasing. So you do not end up with a head ache.

11/3/2004 10:13:34 AM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

I work at an aircraft repair facility, we have a chemical lab downstairs (They monitor baths used to chemically treat and process metals mostly) and although the lab guys think I'm nuts, they're quite willing to abuse company time to support my habit. I brought the sample in this morning in a glass jar, we filled it with deionized water and stirred it a few times, let it sit for a few hours, then tested it with the digital PH meter. I got the procedure from an old posting on this site.

As for a test of the soil before buying it, I got a really good deal from a neighbor on it, figured it would be worth the hassle of getting additions made before the spring.

11/3/2004 11:43:33 AM