On Sat, 10 May 2003 18:49:55 GMT, dommy
wrote:

I read that too much coffee grounds in a compst heap can make it acidic,
dont know if it will do the same to the soil though

I would think you'd need commercial amounts of coffee grounds (e.g.
from a restaurant) into a small heap to have a big effect. Ordinary
domestic quantities shouldn't make any difference. For that matter,
too much grass doesn't do a compost heap much good either. A good mix
of all sorts works best.

With chalky soil, the pH will remain alkaline as long as there's free
chalk still present, because the chalk acts as a buffer and holds the
pH high until there's no chalk left, i.e. until it's all dissolved by
whatever it is you're adding to acidify it. In really chalky soils,
that would mean dissolving almost all the soil and you'd have no soil
left! However, with soils that are only slightly alkaline but not
actually chalky, it may be possible to lower the pH a little with
compost or whatever to just bring it to the acid side of neutral.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net