Garden pH test

[Irrelevant]

Since hunting and fishing are out of the picture and we can't go aware, I'm trying to keep myself occupied.

I'm working on growing some blueberries. I have (3) mature bushes and (11) 2 yr old plants. They just won't hardly grow. I suspect it's the pH, even though I've applied miracid a couple times a year. Anyone found a good method for testing pH? I tried some strips, but the results were difficult to interpret (colors didn't really match any of the key colors), I also have a 3-way probe, but the pH part doesn't ever seem to move. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I send people’s garden soil samples to CO state univ. They have a pretty user friendly sampling guide and provide some modicum of interpretation if you desire. If you google “Colorado State Soils Lab Testing” it will come up. IIRC the basic macro test is about $25. Good use of that stimulus check.

 

[TwistedSage]

There's a ph test I've used from garden centers that is in like a pill capsule form. Gotta mix a cup of soil with some water stir it then let it set until it's clear again/settled take the water and use with the test kit. Ita not real exact it's still just comparing colors but I've found it to be usable and it also come in a kit to test alkalinity, potash, and nitrogen. I think it's around 20 bucks for the kit and there's 5 tablets if each test category. I'll find a link...

 

[Irrelevant]

I send people’s garden soil samples to CO state univ. They have a pretty user friendly sampling guide and provide some modicum of interpretation if you desire. If you google “Colorado State Soils Lab Testing” it will come up. IIRC the basic macro test is about $25. Good use of that stimulus check.

I thought about going that route, I even have a flat of sterile soil sample jars in the car, but I also want to try a bunch of different locations and then amend with various things and retest the results. I'd prefer an instrument of some sort.

 

[Hunting Wife]

There are a variety of pH meter soil probe type instruments available from online horticultural supply places and probably Amazon. We use something similar for work (but fancier) when we’re testing brine contamination and such. That should fit the bill for you. There’s a wide range of options and price points, depending on your needs.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Yes that would get expensive fast. They recommend a composite sample, but that obviously doesn’t work if you need specifics for different areas.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I've been using this to do some testing:

 

[kwyeewyk]

Gotta go by the grow shop in Cashmere....for blueberries in general my experience has lots of acid, lots of fertilizer, and never let them get dry.

 

[Irrelevant]

Gotta go by the grow shop in Cashmere....for blueberries in general my experience has lots of acid, lots of fertilizer, and never let them get dry.

I got the dry part down, irrigation and we practically live on a swamp. You talking about the hydroponics place north of town along the hwy?

 

[kwyeewyk]

You talking about the hydroponics place north of town along the hwy?

Yeah, Indoor Tropics, at least it used to be called that, haven't been up there in a while, I did get a bulk size bag of acid lover organic fertilizer there last spring though.

 

[wseidel]

Being a former Extension Educator in Minnesota with some experience growing blueberries, I'll weigh in. Your hunch is correct. Blueberries require a low soil pH - usually 4.5 to 5.2 (7.0 being neutral) - and prefer a high organic matter content (think dark soil comprised of dead plant material). Peat moss provides a great material to mix into your soil to increase the organic matter content AND lower the pH - provided it is a sphagnum peat which is acidic. Blueberries also need plenty of regular moisture because they don't have fine root hairs. We would usually recommend that people interested in growing blueberries would ideally amend and prepare the planting bed a year in advance. This would allow the soil pH to be lowered with sulphur/peat moss and get the weeds under control. In terms of checking soil pH, there are a number of calibrated gauges you can use. Another option (as suggested earlier) is to send in a soil sample to your state extension service. This will not only give you the soil pH but also the soil texture (clay, loam, sandy loam, etc) and the amount of fertilizer and materials to amend the soil pH. Your local Extension office would probably be able to provide some assistance as well in terms of the best varieties for your area. Regarding Miracid, this is good to use once the soil pH is already at the proper level. Hope this helps.

 

[JTHOMP]

I’ve used a ph testing kit I got from Lowe’s when on a small job. They spilled HCl on a well pad. I think it was color coded when you take a certain amount of dirt, put it in a vile and shake it. Fairly easy to use. I was able to differentiate the impact area vs the background area and determine when all the impacted dirt was excavated.

This is what I used.