pH 7.3 for Brassicas?
- Thread starter Bigfoot49
- Start date
I was surprised too. I used a pH meter from a garden store, not an “official” soil analysis. Even then, I wouldn’t think it would be overly inaccurate.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Did you mix it with water? I’ve heard with those probes you need to mix with water and then they can be prone to having the water ph dominate the reading.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I had 5.5 when I broke new ground in NW Wi
It seems most of what I’ve read about plots up here they are in the 5.5-6 range. My plot is in an old logging staging area that was cleared, if that would make a difference. Plus, I cleared its brush with a tractor loader in reverse before running over it with a side-by-side rake implement. I’ll probably just throw the seed on it without lime and see if it takes. Had two nice bucks on it two days ago.
Wild Thing
5 year old buck +
7.3 does sound high for a brand new plot that had been a logging deck, and with no ag-lime ever being incorporated. My U.P. of Michigan soils were generally in the 5-6 pH range prior to adding lime. I have never used a pH meter before but I can't imagine them being more accurate than actual lab analysis. While your pH is very likely good enough to grow a food plot, I think I would spend the $10 for a lab test just so you know how accurate your pH meter actually is.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
I think I would take a sample and send it in. Then you have a known starting point.
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
My state wildlife biologist was adamantly against the soil pH probes. Said they are never accurate, and never uses them.
The only way I could see them being useful is if you run several lab samples and then compare their data to what you get on the probe.
The only way I could see them being useful is if you run several lab samples and then compare their data to what you get on the probe.
Nightvision
5 year old buck +
Throw that probe in the trash and get a real soil test. If that thing is anywhere close to accurate I would be very surprised
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Good news is Cereal rye and some brassicas are listed as tolerant to a pretty good range of pH values.
S.T.Fanatic
5 year old buck +
The last time I ran tests on one of mine the PH was 7.6 Brassica grows great.
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
My farm is a pine plantation. Anywhere I clear where pine trees were growing has a ph of 5! I put a bunch of lime down, but am switching to more and more things that tolerate or thrive in lower ph.
tlzkaasen
5 year old buck +
I'm in North Central WI. Spring 2021 is when I started all my plots and sent the soil tests in. Each plot came back and averaged 4.8-5.1 ... I've been hitting all my plots with Lime when I have time. I don't live at the property, but I do spend a lot of time there. Officially, I'm a 7.0 per the soil analysis yesterday on my largest plot. I honestly do not know how many tons of lime I've put through the spreader over the past year and half, but I guess a lot of it, all pelletized lime from Menards or TSC.
This gives me hope that I can get there with mine. Most are 5.0. South central WI.
I bought a reliable and accurate soil test kit (I have a college minor in chemistry) and did the analysis multiple times with the pH results consistently at 5.8 (+/- 0.01). So, the meter I used before was garbage.
I’ll be applying Plot Start from Deergro today to bring the pH to 6.5, which should be optimal for the brassicas and cereal grains.
I’ll be applying Plot Start from Deergro today to bring the pH to 6.5, which should be optimal for the brassicas and cereal grains.
Wild Thing
5 year old buck +
Thanks for the heads up on the pH meter vs accurate soil test results - 7.3 to 5.8 is a significant difference. I don't think I will be using a pH meter any time soon here.
