lime questions

I am going to get some last additives for my soil mix to transplant my babies into their permanent pots and im confused about lime!

What i basically want to know is can it hurt? I havent ph tested.

So I dont know if my soil is good or not. if I add it to already good ph soil can it cause negative effects?

I have a water ph test kit can somebody teach me how to use that on soil?

My soil mix is blood meal 10-10-10 potting mix and 3 bags of plain top soil. Im adding perlite and bone meal today...

I just tested my water and its really high at 7.8.

Will adding lime to my soil fix this?

Lime raises your pH. If your water's already hard (high in calcium and alkaline), which it appears to be according to your test results, then there's really no need to add lime unless your soil is low. Test your soil mix when complete. Blood meal is acidic in nature but bone meal is alkaline. If your soil is already well balanced there's really no need for lime.

Personally, with the limited information you've provided, my guess would be that you're alright. Though, over time, with water that high you might find that it raises your pH so keep an eye on it. Fertilizer is generally acidic in nature, which will help neutralize your water. Just don't over do your nutes in an effort to balance your water.

You should be aiming for a soil pH of about 6.8 but anywhere between 6.5 and 7.0 is acceptable.

Hope that helps.
Peace

OK!

So I had the lime thing backwards! Whoops!

I couldnt think of any other info to post about my soil/ph type stuff. Im not using any nutes yet.

Thanks for your help!

What can I add to my soil to lower the ph of my water? Or just add to the water to lower the ph?

Sulfates. Vinegar works too. Just make sure you don't add too much.

Add it to your water as I suspect your soil is balanced.

Thank you!!! Ill just add some a little at a time and keep testing.

Lime doesn't just raise Ph and there are plenty of reasons to add it to soil that has a perfect PH.

Lime is more properly called a buffer - it brings everything to a PH of 7.0 whether it needs to raise or lower the water's PH. Say you screw up and water with a PH of 4.9 or maybe 9.1 - lime will buffer that water so the roots see a PH of 7.0 until it is used up. But putting too much lime in the soil isn't good either. That will lead to iron chlorosis and it reduces the availability of manganese to your plants.

I like 1 Tbsp/Gallon.

Picasso345 said:

Lime doesn't just raise Ph and there are plenty of reasons to add it to soil that has a perfect PH.

Lime is more properly called a buffer - it brings everything to a PH of 7.0 whether it needs to raise or lower the water's PH. Say you screw up and water with a PH of 4.9 or maybe 9.1 - lime will buffer that water so the roots see a PH of 7.0 until it is used up. But putting too much lime in the soil isn't good either. That will lead to iron chlorosis and it reduces the availability of manganese to your plants.

I like 1 Tbsp/Gallon.

Click to expand...

So I should use it anyway?