Mark Hall

I want to lower my Ph levels on my potted Ae ae without using chemicals ( if poss) And I read somewhere that Pine needles are used for this.

What I would like to know is do the needles have to be green and fresh or old and Brown to do this and how often do they need to be topped up ?

And also how long will this method take ? if its going to be a very long while I will have to try some sort of chemical

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Richard

Green pine needles, ground up and mixed with some compost will work well. Dried pine needles have usually been leached by water and are not potent.

Agricultural (not ornamental) peat moss can be applied the same way.

Chicken manure can also be used the same way: be careful with fresh manure it is very acidic.

Granulated sulfur is often sold in cereal-size boxes at nurseries. Go easy on it and use a pH meter. Keep in mind that it gives immediate results and then keeps breaking down over time -- so if the soil is not acidic enough for you this week it might be great in two weeks.

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Mark Hall

Thanks Richard. I use chicken pellets for feeding but that has been processed and not sure if it has the same effect.

I may try to get some small branches of pine and run them over with the lawn mower to mash them up abit.

Looks like the sulpher works faster though. Not sure what types we have here in the UK so I will have to check it out. Bit of luck my Ae ae will have a bit more colour to it and less green.

All I need now is to find some magic formula to make it pup

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Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

Richard

Try a food processor on the needles alone. You'll only need 1/4 liter's worth (ground).

Speaking of ground, coffee grounds would also work.

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turtile

I've used citric acid and phosphoric acid (do you consider citric acid as a chemical?). Vinegar would probably work well too.

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microfarmer

Not when I use it my homebrew to lower the batches PH. It helps the hops flavor profile...

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Mark Hall

I don't think my wife would be best pleased if I used the blender for chopping up pine needles Never thought of using citric acid and wouldn't know where to get it in the UK????

We have in our garden centres boxes of Sulphate of Ammonia would that work?

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Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

SteveW

Would composted pine bark chippings work?

Richard

At the market, buy a liter bottle of Lemon Juice from concentrate.

Use an inexpensive pH meter like those below to test your soil and the lemon juice before using it, and then test the soil once a day for a few days after using it.

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Richard

Slow acting, especially when applied to the surface. An excellent substitute for peat moss. By the way, fresh chipped pine or pine bark is very acidic (pH ~= 3) and can inhibit the uptake of Nitrogen by most plants.

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Mark Hall

Doh!!!never thought of using lemon juice for that I usually put it on my pancakes..lol

I have a VariegatedAcciminata that has nearly lost all its variegation so I may try it on that too!

Thanks Richard.

__________________
Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

Mark Hall

Would it be best to add Lemon juice to a gallon of water and then water it in that way,if so what sort of ratio would you think to start with?

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Time Flies like an Arrow.....Fruit flies like a Banana.

Richard

You need to know:

• pH of water you are using to water the plants.
• pH of the lemon juice.
• pH of the soil, measured in 3 or 4 different locations at different depth each (total of 3 or 4 measurements). Testing about an inch inside one of the holes at the bottom is a good idea.
• size of the pot.
• about what proportion of the pot the corm takes up. 1/4? 1/2?
• pH you wish to achieve.

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PAJ53

Composted pine needles are what I use on my strawberries to lower ph and increase production but I do not put them on bannanas, mine grow just fine putting vermiculture vertilizer on them (red worm composter) I grow hydroponic lettuce in a eb and flow system in the winter and the below link is where I get ph adjusting chemicals and fertilizers they have better pricing than I can get locally; places around here cater to people who grow illegal things and have crazy prices and one cold not make a profit on head lettuce unless it could be sold for 20 dollars a head if I used local suppliers
Fertilizer Compounds