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Old 28-02-2008, 05:53 AM posted to sci.bio.botany
Father Haskell Father Haskell is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2006
Posts: 142
Default Can I use a dilute buffer to adjust soil pH?

On Feb 27, 11:56 pm, wrote:
In article ,



Peter Jason wrote:

"Marios Giannakoulias"
wrote in message
...
I m sure it will wash out of the mix in no
time. What do u want to
cultivate, and what kind of pH are we
talking about?


Thanks, I have a "Wedding Palm" (Lytocaryum
Weddelliana) which always has brown leaf tips
and generally looks sick. I have tried
everything except the soil pH.


It looked wonderful in the shop.


They all look wonderful in the shop. They've just come out of a
greenhouse with optimal light and humidity into your arid, dim house.
No wonder they decline.

The most common cause of brown leaf tips in house plants is low humidity.
Try misting the plant daily or even more often. Another cause is a
buildup of salts in the soil from fertilizer or tap water. This is most
likely if you've had the plant for some time or you've been fertilizing it
or you have hard tap water. Try replacing some of the soil,


Overfeeding or overwatering kills roots. The plant looks chlorotic
no matter how much nitrogen you dump into it. Cure is simple.
Prune the roots by shaving off the outermost 1/3 to 1/2 of
waterlogged soil and replace with fresh soil and a dose of
fertilizer. Slow-release organics like Espoma work great for this,
letting you repot and feed at the same time.

putting the
plant in the sink and letting the water tap drip on the soil overnight,
or watering with soft (not softened) water. Never fertilize a plant that
isn't showing signs of growth. House plants need a lot less fertilizer
than you might think.


Slow release organics are easier to control than fast acting
liquids, like Miracle-Gro.

I don't know the requirements of your plant, but if you can't give it
adequate light, you're furthest ahead replacing it with a plant that is
more suited to your conditions.

I hope this helps.