Re: Gardenia ph levels

by paulh 1st January 2015, 00:08

Ausrose wrote:Paul I was vitaly interested in your comments about vinegar a question I would ask are you talking about vinegars in general as my research came up with Apple Cider Vinegar specifically. Is there a difference in vinegars. If you indicate the sources of your information as I would like to look into further as I'm about to release an article on pH I have written and in it includes the use of Apple Cider Vinegar to reduce the pH. From what you have said about vinegars use and if Apple Cider Vinegar has similar effects as other vinegars I should remove it from the article before it is published as I don' want give Rosarians bad information.

What you have said about your experiences and what your research has come up with makes sense particularly the killing of beneficial microbes and I take your point about using vinegar based weedicides.

Thanks for your input. Perhaps we should be compiling an article on why not to use vinegar to reduce pH because of its side effects.

I'll try and chase up the articles from google

by The Lazy Rosarian 1st January 2015, 06:23

Isn't "Google" good(at times), after Wendy's post at Peat Moss, I went there and found more reading material, here is the start,

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by AutumnDamask 1st January 2015, 08:09

paulh wrote:
AutumnDamask wrote:What's the pH of the water you are using, Paul? If you are like John and having to use a higher pH water (bore water etc) then changing to rainwater/RO water might be useful. If you don't have either of those things then have some large buckets set up where you can soak peat moss in them to lower the pH to better levels. If your water is a higher pH then the surface area in the pot will be a higher pH than lower down since the top part gets the water every day in greatest amounts.
With the info on the results of vinegar I'd be wary to try and drop the soil pH fast by any means.

In the meantime, it's possible an iron deficiency is present due to the higher pH. This may correct itself once the pH is altered and normal fertiliser is used. You could try iron sulfate.

Thanks AutumnDamask, I am using scheme water, so I'm not sure of the ph levels, I've heard of top dressing with peat moss, unfortunately with the arrival of our new Cavoodle this year, she would just spread it all over the yard. Soaking it sounds interesting

ETA: most town / treated water will be at least 7pH. It's to do with the chemicals they use.

Neatest way to do the soaking is to stuff the peat moss into some old pantyhose and then use it as a "tea bag". All the little bits won't block your watering can then. Wink

by Balinbear 1st January 2015, 08:14

Apple Cider Vinegar but be the magic elixir to cure everything thing.

We used it to stop an itch on one of our horses and was told the other day to take a spoon full each day to keep gout and arthritis at bay.

by LouiseJB 1st January 2015, 12:01

Hi all,
Blueberries need a similar pH and some sources recommend the use of pine needles either as a planting medium or a mulch to reduce pH.
Cheers,
Louise.

by paulh 1st January 2015, 23:43

Ok, I have jumped in and gave the Gardenia a dose of Aluminum Sulphate, I had this on hand to blue my hydranger, which flowers a still pink, go figure. On the box it says to give it to the Hydranders every 2 weeks. However when searching google, it says constant use of AS can be toxic. Hmm, I was thinking of using it on my roses that have a ph of 7. Now, the use of sulphur which is widely reccomended to be a better long term approach and because it can take a couple of years to work its magic, can one dig in the sulphur and at the same time, use a quick fix method that only last a short time on an ongoing basis till the sulphur works?

by neptune 2nd January 2015, 00:18

Read post three , paul...does that answer the question?.....

by paulh 2nd January 2015, 00:23

Gotcha

by paulh 2nd January 2015, 00:27

Ausrose mentions 5mls/L of vinegar, on google some mention 1 cup to a gallon which I guess is 8 litres. Your thoughts please.

by neptune 2nd January 2015, 06:29

first you need to know the ph of the water that you want changing.
Then you need to know to what ph you want to go down to .
Then you need a measuring device to find the changes in the water as you go along. You may use mechanical or paper readers.
Using the 5ml/lt situation....put 5ml in a ltr of water ...stir...wait a minute...then take a reading....if it is not what you want ...add another 5ml and test again till you get what you want....

Also....... 1Gallon(US) =3.79lts
..............1Gallon(UK) =4.5lts

by Ausrose 2nd January 2015, 06:45

After evaluating all what appears to be conflicting information with respect to Apple Cider Vinegar I will be erring on the side of caution and withdrawing any reference to Apple Cider Vinegar as a quick fix for lowering the pH.

by neptune 2nd January 2015, 06:51

If you want to change the ph of the water...go to Bunnings and look in the hydroponic section. There you will find two different bottles....one is called PH Up and the other is called PH Down...but you still need to find a way to read your water levels...

by Balinbear 2nd January 2015, 07:12

Ausrose wrote:After evaluating all what appears to be conflicting information with respect to Apple Cider Vinegar I will be erring on the side of caution and withdrawing any reference to Apple Cider Vinegar as a quick fix for lowering the pH.

Yes from what I have read regarding gout, ACV acts to increase the PH of you blood to remove the uric acid build up.

by AutumnDamask 2nd January 2015, 13:05

neptune wrote:If you want to change the ph of the water...go to Bunnings and look in the hydroponic section. There you will find two different bottles....one is called PH Up and the other is called PH Down...but you still need to find a way to read your water levels...

With aquariums you can use the (easy) pH Up and pH Down but they load the water with other things which may or may not be beneficial to your fish etc. Pot plants probably aren't as bothered! lol

If you want to find out your water pH that is easy... just get an aquarium water pH test kit. Can usually pick one up at most pet shops.

by neptune 2nd January 2015, 13:32

when I was doing the experiment of growing roses hydroponically, I used the PH down and had no problems with it as it was designed for growing plants

by AutumnDamask 2nd January 2015, 15:29

They have specific pH treatments for aquariums. Would be interesting to know if they were the same... !

by paulh 4th January 2015, 01:02

neptune wrote:If you want to change the ph of the water...go to Bunnings and look in the hydroponic section. There you will find two different bottles....one is called PH Up and the other is called PH Down...but you still need to find a way to read your water levels...

John, I saw the hy gen ph down at Bunnings today, am I right in thinking you dilute this stuff in a watering can and then use it on your plants. Seems as though you dont have to use very much at all, if thats the case.

by neptune 4th January 2015, 01:40

not much at all , Paul, but you need to know how far you are going down....... one drop gives you this much...two drops gives you this much..etc..... get hold of some ph strips...

by Ausrose 5th January 2015, 10:46

AD I was interested to read you used Neutrog orchid fertiliser for the azalea in the picture as I use the same product for my roses in pots with what I consider good results. Looking at the photo of your azalea it is certainly doing its job. On the subject of azaleas a number of years back I had a number of azaleas and I found the predatory mites definitely kept them clean.

by AutumnDamask 8th January 2015, 06:10

Doug, Neutrog recommend the 'Strikeback for Orchids' for potted roses (rather than using 'Sudden Impact' which is tailored for gardenbed use).
I've certainly found it useful. Smile

That azalea is the best it's ever been this last spring. Amazing what regular food and water can do! LOL

(Our water is pH 5-5.5 and the plant receives morning sun and afternoon shade)

by Ausrose 8th January 2015, 17:04

If my memory serves me right it was a member of the SA Rose Society who came up with the idea to use Strikeback for roses in pots in preference to Sudden Impact.

by The Lazy Rosarian 9th January 2015, 06:33

Isn't funny how we adapt other fertilizers to our own individual use, sometimes by mistake others by trial and error. I must admit I go on what is in the product, "active ingredient". I do favor liquid products tho.

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