Hey Daisybeans. Glad I ran across this thread. I've also gotten the recommendation to send a sample to the University of Maryland. If you are as curious as I am it may be worth it. I'm not sure how to do this yet or what exactly they do. I'm checking up on it.
This PDF has a lot of interesting information. http://www.hgic.umd.edu/content/documen ... 09_003.pdf The University of Maryland no longer has a soil lab, but they recommend places where you can get tests done. A lab will be sure to return very accurate information. The average test appears to be about $10. I think I'm going to give it a try.
TMWeeds -- I wonder how similar our soils would be. I'm in northern AACounty, how about you? My soil is moree on the sandy side than clay, for the most part though. I add a lot of compost and peat to anything I plant. Have you ever used Leafgro? I thought I would try that in the areas where veggies will grow. Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville had a big selection of soil testing kits, by the way. From the simplest to more complex.
Daisy, just out of curiosity, how did the soil test after you added the acidifier? I also wanted to throw out there that today in Lowe's I picked up a test kit for $12. It's basically four tubes that you add soil, water, and some tablets to. The nice thing is it also can test for soil nutrients like nitrogen, etc. I don't know how well it works as I'm going to try it in the next few days, but just another thought.
Strideknight, you know, I have not tested it again since adding the acidifier but I'm off tomorrow so I will check it and report back. I've been curious about it too. I saw the type of kit you describe. I was really fascinated by the variety of testing options...
I checked the ph of the soil in question today and found absolutely no change. None! Apparently you have to add quite a bit of the soil acidifier to change the overall ph. I checked it at several depths.
Hmmm, thanks daisy. That's both good to know and a little distressing. Seems like there should be a better way to do it then.
