GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Billy Rose · 29-06-2007, 01:48 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible,rec.gardens

In article . com,
wrote:

Hi folks,

I am the author of teaming with microbes. I hope you all enjoy it. In
fact, if you buy it and really don't like it, contact me and I will
refund your money......Just wanted you to know that If you have a
first printing edition, there is a mistake on pages 41 & 42....re
pH....the higher the pH the more alkaline the soil...the lower the pH,
the more acidic. If you have few hydrogen ions, the pH is
high.....etc.

Anyhow, this has been corrected in the second printing edition.

If you have questions, or want a speaker etc, you can contact me off
list....I do weddings and Bar Mitvahs....anywhere there are gardeners~

Cheers,

Jeff Lowenfels
Anchorage, Alaska

Specifically,

1) Page 41, Soil pH, starting with the end of the second line:
" If you have relatively few hydrogen ions compared to the rest of what
is in solution, the pH is low and the solution is acidic."

This is an error. High concentrations of (H+ or H3O+: hydronium ions)
make the solution acidic.

The pH measures the concentration of (H+ or H3O+: hydronium ions) in the
solution. 1^E-1 is larger than 1^E-14. The -1 and the -14 are made
positive by convention. pH1 is strongly acidic and pH 14 strongly basic.
Because pH 14 is so basic, there are very few hydronium ions floating
around.

2) Then third line up from the bottom of p. 41:
As the concentration of H+ goes up, the pH goes up-the soil is
increasingly alkaline.
It should read, "As the concentration of H+ goes up, the pH goes
down-the soil is increasingly acidic

3) Then first line, first sentence p.42:
Adding OH to the solution lowers the pH (that is, soil is increasingly
acidic) because it lowers the concentration of H+.
It should read, "Adding OH to the solution raises the pH (that is, soil
is increasingly basic) because it lowers the concentration of H+."

Other than that snafu on the first edition the rest seems fine.
Presently I'm reading a first edition from the library but I plan on
buying the second.
--
Billy
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)