[MittleiderMethodGardening] Preplant mix in alkaline soil - with (Hopefully Better) response from Jim Kennard
Thank you for your response, however, it doesn't answer my question. I already know my soil is alkaline. The PH is around 7.6 to 8 (depending on where I test it on the property). The soil here is calcareous soil—it already contains lime (calcium carbonate) in the form of native rock. This is the same lime used to raise the pH of acidic soils. I mentioned the average rainfall because the book mentions it. Texas must be the exception to the average rainfall rule. West Texas (El Paso to Odessa) is very, very dry and is also very, very alkaline. I grew up in Odessa and the soil and water is so alkaline your pipes and hot water heater would clog up with the lime. In west San Antonio it's almost as bad. In Wilson County where I currently live, it's not as bad, but the alkaline soil is a problem. Black-eye peas do beautifully here but you can't grow blueberries unless you buy some specially adapted varieties and then you have to "baby" them with soil acidifier supplements.
That being said, if someone's soil (and the well water I use) is already alkaline, what should the preplant mix be? I've been an organic gardener for about 40 years and it goes against everything I've ever learned to add more lime to calcareous soil... but I love to learn and I'm always trying new (to me) methods. But before I ruin the soil of a bed I've dug with a pick-axe and rock bar (we have a LOT of rock) I just want to make certain you understand that the soil here is alkaline. The water we use is alkaline.
Is there someone in the San Antonio area who is using this method? How do you cope with the PH. Do you add lime or gypsum or something else? Or do you not use a soil at all but use the sawdust and sand mix?
I need to make a decision here very soon. I'm at the very tail-end of the planting season for things like spinach and carrots and need to prepare the beds for tomatoes and peppers *now*. I'll be planting those in 2 - 3 weeks.
Thank you for your assistance,
Pat
Wilson County, TX
(East/Southeast of San Antonio)
Thank you for that excellent information Pat. I am happy to be corrected, that 30" of water per year does NOT always translate to pH of 7 or below.
I recommend you use gypsum in your Pre-Plant Mix. Gypsum is pH neutral because it has about the same %s of calcium (raises pH) and sulfur (lowers pH). To further improve your soil's pH you MIGHT need to add additional sulfur, but usually that is not needed because several of the other compounds already contain sulfur such as: Nitrogen and potassium are often sulfates, magnesium is usually a sulfate, as are the micro-nutrients zinc, manganese, iron, and copper.
Leaving calcium OUT of your fertilizer would NOT be recommended. It is very common for soils to contain certain nutrients, but for those nutrients to be "fixed" or adhered to the soil particles and not available to the fast-growing vegetable plants. For example very often an acre of land will contain 20-40 tons pf potassium, and yet as low as 200# could be water soluble and available for plants at any one time. A similar situation exists with the calcium in calcareous soils such as you deal with on a daily basis.
Best of success, and don't hesitate to check in with us as you go along.
Jim Kennard
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