Ph balance....I have alkalinity, help!

[OnionPatch]

Well, it's a tad alkaline, anyway. Enough so that I'm thinking that's the reason I get so many virus-type diseases in my garden. I recently read there is a link.

So what do I do? I always had to deal with acid soil back east and used lime. But I guess sulfur is the treatment for alkaline soil, right? Where does one buy sulfur for the garden and what form does it come in? Is it powder? Liquid? Does it stink? How long does it take to work? Should I put it just around the plants or over all the soil? Is it organic? Are there things that are good to put in your compost to acidify the soil? Things to avoid?

I never had this problem before. My soil was always too acid until I moved to California. :shrug:

[Ecumenist]

1. Where in California do you live?

You should be able to get sulfur at a gardening centre. Unless I miss my mark, lime will also acidify your soil.... and if your able to it pine needles will also acidify your soil as well.

[Gato Moteado]

4. i'm not sure if pine needles are good.......

...i think they also contain a natural herbicide.

the very best way to acidify your soil is by adding a lot of compost and peat moss.

[Ecumenist]

5. that's true too...

that didn't even occur to me. Peat moss is indeed acidic for the same reason as pine needles.

[OnionPatch]

7. I'm in northwest Riverside County

In the foothills of the San Bernardinos.

I'll check out the garden center. I'll just have to ask them because I don't know what to look for.

[NMDemDist2]

2. coffee grounds are acidic IIRC

and help with nitrogen too

here's an article on it

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/143052_lovejoy09.html

[OnionPatch]

6. That's good to know

since I drink about a gallon of coffee a day! Thanks.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. You should be able to find elemental sulphur at a garden center

There are organically certified ones (look for the OMRI seal.) As others have offered, both coffee grounds and pine needles can acidulate the soil. Coffee grounds are great for small gardens.

[OnionPatch]

8. I was wondering

if sulfer came "organic" or not. I hope I can find it.

[Gato Moteado]

9. what about gypsum?

won't that acidify the soil also? i think it will have a longer lasting effect as well as it is usually slow release.

i still think the best way to amend your soil, since you said it's only marginally alkaline, would be plenty of compost and peat moss. it's always good to add fresh compost to recharge your soil yearly anyway.

[OnionPatch]

10. I hadn't considered gypsum

I haven't really heard of using it. I'll have to google it, thanks.

As for compost, I have some going all the time. It's good stuff because it has chicken manure in it from my chickens as well as all the yard and kitchen waste. But it's a big garden, so on top of that, I add a pickup truck load of mushroom compost to it every spring. Actually, I haven't tested my veggie-garden soil for a few years, so maybe it's not as alkaline as it was before. But I keep adding new beds and there are other areas around the property where I would like to plant more things. I know the compost takes several years to build up the soil and was looking for a quicker fix so I won't have so many casualties this year to powdery mildew and tomato anthracnose, etc.

[morningglory]

11. Don't forget to throw out all your lemon and orange rinds (out into the

garden, I mean).

[LeftCoast]

12. Peat is also acidic and has the (possibly) added benefit of holding H20

If you're in Riverside, your plants will probably appreciate all the water they can get. :hi:

[LWolf]

13. I lived with alkaline soil for 20+ years.

In addition to soil sulfur, cottonseed meal and pine needles help acidify the soil. Plenty of compost, of course. I used to till in massive loads of leaves in the fall, as well.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. I just used the oak leaves...

that plague everyone else around here, and just turned or tilled them into the soil.