|
Tue, Oct 23, 12 at 16:09
| I bought a jasmine plant from a local store and it failed to grow even with fresh potting soil and lot of sun. I then added ALSo4 and it started growing. I had the same problem with roses too and whichever soil (garden or potting)I checked for Ph, I always found alkaline Ph. I don't know why the alkaline soil is being sold in stores. thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Topsoil with alkaline pH is usually found where limestone formations also are found. Limestone is sedimentary rock, and it originates on the floor of oceans or lakes. Marine life results in shells and micro-shells(diatoms) settling out on the bottom, and eventually enough material accumulates to form a layer of mud, that turns into limestone in 100 million years or so. Since alkaline soil is pretty common, there are lots of plants that will grow well in these conditions. As you have found, there are many plants that do better in neutral or acidic soil type. |
|
- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 23, 12 at 18:05
| Potting soil is not topsoil (or shouldn't be). In fact most potting soils do not contain any real 'soil' at all but are various combinations of peat or coir and barks with some compost often thrown in and various drainage enhancers like perlite or sand added as necessary. Typically these soils tend to the acidic side of things so often are limed to adjust pH - maybe more than is absolutely necessary. I've yet to discove one that was any more alkaline than neutral - and most were slightly acidic with a few quite acidic. I guess regionality could be a factor but I'd want to know specific ingredients before I'm convinced. OTOH, how did you determine the potting soil pH? Did you test it? If so, how? Erroneous home tests too often result in skewed readings. |
|
| I use the meter which tells you ph, light and moisture level. I don't say that it is 100% accurate but it can give you an idea of ph as when i used this meter to see the ph of vinegar, it told me a ph of perhaps 3 or 4. I added AlSo4 in jasmine without checking ph (I didn;t have the meter at that time) as it was already dying |
|
| If the pH of the potting soil is alway alkaline, even if that meter tests vinegar at around pH 3 or 4, it may not be reading at all accurately. Unless you have a laboratory pH meter that costs several hundreds the less than $100.00 meters are not very accurate. As gardengal states above the pH of most all commercially available potting soils will be adjusted toward neutral although some will be adjusted for specific plants. When testing with this meter do you use tap water or distilled water? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soil Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.