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I casually tested soils at my lottie yesterday with a pH tester I inherited from my FIL..

  Eeeeeeeeeeeks... most of the plot is 4-5 on the acid scale.. I guess I need to add some lime!! I've got another tester in the loft somewhere so i'll find it and double check with both meters just in case... although I tested at home today and its all around neutral 7.. so it looks like I do have an acidic plot! I believe the plots were once a peat bog so that may be the cause. (although its a wet bog these days)

I found a previous thread about buying lime and found a link to InterHort in Crewe which seems to have great prices.. Just down the road for me so can do a biz trip there.. They have:

ground limestone @ 4.58 per 25 kg
hydrated lime @ 6.70
dolomite magnezium lime @ 5.82

Which would be best to use? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

There is a bit here about different types of lime;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Lime%20and%20its%20uses/Lime%20and%20its%20uses.htm

If you have a wood burner or know someone that has, wood ash will also neutralise the acid.

Be good for growing spuds they like an acid soil

and blueberries/cranberies etc....

I keep all the ash from my burns on the plot and also my neighbour has loads of BBQ's and uses plain wood in his patio heater so gives it all to me. I have added some but not loads yet..

Before you go "Eeeek!" What kind of pH tester, how did you sample and how homogenous is your soil? If it's one of those probes, bear in mind they aren't accurate or precise. Also, if a probe, is it calibrated?

Quote from: Gordonmull on October 18, 2012, 00:38:18
Before you go "Eeeek!" What kind of pH tester, how did you sample and how homogenous is your soil? If it's one of those probes, bear in mind they aren't accurate or precise. Also, if a probe, is it calibrated?

Hi G... yes I did use a probe and found readings from 4 to 5 at the plot and then and tested when I got home and got 7.. I have another probe at home and got 7 here also.. So I'll test with both over the weekend. I do realise that they may not be accurate but will give a good indication of acid or not.  I'll get a general view of the soil condition.

I tested with 2 separate meters today and got much the same results between the 2.... not as bad as I thought. Generally my soil is just acidic 6 to about 5 ish in places.. the 4 I got the other day is where someone had a chicken cage before I took over the plot so the acidity comes from them chooks..

So overall not as bad as I first thought.. I'll still get liming this month and dig some in..

Does anything actually do badly because of the pH Gavin?  I'm just thinking that potatoes for instance will love it and you shouldn't get common scab, but if you want outstanding brassicas I can see that you'd want to add lime, but I'd just be a bit cautions. Soil chemistry is complicated and I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry address one apparent deficiency in case it created other problems.

You are spot on.. Unwashed.  I'm not doing brassicas as they are so cheap and we only eat a cabbage every now and then..  Spuds will like it as will a lot of others I see from searching the big Goooo.. I'll try to get a specific analysis done some time to see the exact requirements.. Thanks for your concern.. It along with my tests today have changed my mind about it all. 

I wish I had more acid soil.... having to sulphur the ground for potatoes is a more of a chore than liming for brassicas, and I still get a bit of scab even then...