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San Diego

Ok, here is my question. All of Langevin's books say adding manure in the fall will lower ph and eventually it will come up to 7.0 I added bagged manure 2 years ago in the fall, and added sulfer because my ph was high at 7.5. Spring came, my ph went up .3 tenths to 7.8! The A & L lab guy said manure raises ph, not lowers it! My friend vince put in farm manure last fall with a ton of sulfer because his ph was 8.5, spring came and his ph was 8.1, not much lower either.
So now I'm starting a new patch, will have my soil report back shortly. I'm gonna put in some manure again, hopefully farm manure, what will it do to my ph???? hehehe confused:) I thought my "bagged" manure was the culprit before for raiseing my ph, but my friend used farm manure and the ph stayed up too even with a ton of sulfer added. Any help? Thanks, Jimmy

9/13/2004 5:34:06 PM

Oz

add lime

9/13/2004 7:42:37 PM

Rhode Island

duster
dont add lime or else your ph will go even higher , trust me its true
aluminum sulfate will bring the ph down a lot faster than just sulfer
mention it to a and l labs and i think they would agree

9/13/2004 8:41:06 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

lime raise's PH

9/13/2004 8:41:38 PM

Rhode Island

Lime is like sugar for the soil!!!!!
We all know what sugar does to a skinny person now don't we????

9/13/2004 8:47:29 PM

[email protected]

The manure raised your pH more than the amount of sulfur used could counteract it in the time allowed.

9/13/2004 9:01:42 PM

New Brunswick

My mum grew prize winning squash on a straight pig manure pile. A friend of mine grows her squash and gourds seeded directly in her horse manure pile....no additives of any kind added. I grow my pumpkins in 100% horse manure. I add lime once in awhile...just for good measure. I find manure to be a perfect growing medium as is for squash at least...nothing added but 10 10 10 broadcast before planting and then miracle gro or 20 20 20 added when desired. Are the A.G.'s different from normal squash in their nutrient requirements???

9/13/2004 9:33:42 PM

Puyallup, WA

I don't give a rat's ass what that A&L guy said....Manure lowers the pH....period! At least that is what happened in my patch! It lowered it by 1.0 after adding 19 pick-up loads!!! I have grown 1000#ers in straight TAGRO...treated sewage+sawdust=sand. They claim a pH of 7.6+ for the product!!!!! Look what Dan Carlson did with
little fertilization!

9/13/2004 9:51:14 PM

[email protected]

I hear you Stan. Manure does lower the pH here too. But I also know that some purchased materials contain high rates of lime blended with it. Perhaps Jimmy got something like this.

9/13/2004 10:07:35 PM

Ohio

LOL Stan

9/14/2004 4:38:23 AM

I'm with Gordon... GO UTES!

All organic matter, as it breaks down will lower the pH for
a period of time.

9/14/2004 11:33:52 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

The PH is raised in Manures that are stored to reduce the smell. You might get a ph probe tester to give you a good idea of where you are sitting.

9/14/2004 11:57:19 AM

[email protected]

When mixed with soil & allowed to degrade naturally, all unadulterated organic material will acidify soil.

9/14/2004 3:40:13 PM

San Diego

thanks for the info guys:) Jimmy

9/14/2004 7:34:06 PM

Southern WI

So...any age manure added in fall will be ready for planting in the spring..right !?!

9/14/2004 11:59:14 PM

[email protected]

There is the rare possibility that a shallow till freezes solid early & stays that way. But if fresh manure is tilled in October, most times it is ready by spring. Adding a bacterial innoculant will speed things along as soil temps rise in the spring if we get a late start.

9/15/2004 6:14:27 AM