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dice · May 31, 2007

" The soil was tested by someone else prior to planting (and me adding the peat moss) and it was ph5, so now it should be ph4. . . ."

I've read pH 5.2 for peat, and "as low as 3.5" elsewhere.
My guess would be that the mixed soil and peat is still
close to pH 5. (Actual pH of peat probably depends on
how wet the bog where it came from was for how much
of the year.)

So sprinkle some pelletized or powdered lime or dolomite
around and don't sweat it. Too little is better than
too much, so don't be generous with it.

http://www.allotment.org.uk/articles/Garden_Lime.php
says to add 2-3 lbs per square yard to raise organic
or peat soils from pH 5.5 to 6.5. That is 9 square feet,
so figure around 25 lbs per 100 sq. ft. (That might not
be enough for optimum pH, but it probably won't be
too much, which is harder to fix than too little.)

May 31, 2007	#14
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	" The soil was tested by someone else prior to planting (and me adding the peat moss) and it was ph5, so now it should be ph4. . . ." I've read pH 5.2 for peat, and "as low as 3.5" elsewhere. My guess would be that the mixed soil and peat is still close to pH 5. (Actual pH of peat probably depends on how wet the bog where it came from was for how much of the year.) So sprinkle some pelletized or powdered lime or dolomite around and don't sweat it. Too little is better than too much, so don't be generous with it. http://www.allotment.org.uk/articles/Garden_Lime.php says to add 2-3 lbs per square yard to raise organic or peat soils from pH 5.5 to 6.5. That is 9 square feet, so figure around 25 lbs per 100 sq. ft. (That might not be enough for optimum pH, but it probably won't be too much, which is harder to fix than too little.) __________________ -- alias