Quote:
Originally Posted by rajah
Hi
Ive just broken up a concrete shed base (around 1.5m x 3m) and want to use the soil underneath for planting. Obvioulsy the act of breaking up the concrete has meant that a lot of concrete rubble and dust been thrown into the soil.
the soil was quite compacted, i removed as much of the concrete and stones from the top, then forked it over to about depth of a garden fork.
At this stage measuring the ph it was heavily alkaline. This could be the natural ph, or it could be due to the concrete.
It was still quite compacted, so ive added sand to it. Also added a lot of well rotted horse manure.
How do I go about reducing the ph, to make the soil slightly acidic?
will the concrete mixed in the soil continue to cause problems no matter what i do? Or will adding acid to the soil balance out things and fix the problem?
also what duration of time do i need to wait before thinking of planting in it?
many thanks for any assistance.
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Hi rajah, yes, the concrete will have had some bearing on the ph and also the fact that the soil has been under this concrete for awhile will also tend to make it more alkaline. I feel that your natural ph must be high, have you checked the ph of the soil away from the shed base to compare ? Its very hard to change basic ph levels and I'd suggest that you plant things which like lime. Having done what youve done re the sand and FYM, you can plant when ever you want, theres no reason to leave it.
regards, Lannerman.