I just got my soil test back,can someone put this in English?
Target ph:6.5
pH(1:2 Sample:Water) 5.1
A-E Buffer Value 7.60
It says to add a ton of lime per acre,I thought lime lowered the pH?
But is the ph 5.1?

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.

The target PH is a end goal. 6.5 is about perfect for clover, and a good starting point for alphalfa(sp).

They mixed 1 part of your soil sample with 2 parts distilled water and measured the PH at 5.1

The A-E Buffer Value 7.6 is really good (I think), you ONLY need to add 1 ton of lime per acre to raise the PH from 5.1 to 6.5. That is VERY GOOD NEWS. I've heard of some guys needing 6-8 tons in some northern areas.

The purpose of Lime, AG lime, calcium carbonate, is to raise the soil PH to improve the uptake of nutrients for legumes (clovers, alphalfa, soybeans, ect) that deer really like. The following link can explain it in alot better detail than I can...

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forag...ions/ay267.htm

Fldeerman, the acid/base thing is kind of confusing.
pH is stated as a number 1 through 14...7 being neutral...with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic. When the number is less than 7, lime is added to lower(neutralize) the acidity which actually raises the number closer to 7 or your optimal 6.5. With your pH being 5.1, you need to "lower" the acid level by adding lime which will raise your pH number. Get it?
I don't really know why the saying lower the pH by adding lime came from since the acid end of the pH scale is the lower end.
Did this help?

Your soil sample is good news, like the others indicated. Your soil must be sandy, or at least loamy to only require 1 ton/acre of lime to bring the Ph in line. If the soil is sandy, you need to be concerned about leaching of minerals in the soil, and drought, since water tends to run through it quickly. A low area would be better if this is the case.

Just for comparison sake.... my Ph was 5.1 - and the requirement was 6-8 tons/acre to get the Ph above 6.5. With loose soil, you may find that you have to lime more often, than with claylike soil, to keep the Ph where it needs to be.


Good luck

My soil is a clay mix and yes I was suprised it was only 5.1.

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.

FlDeerman; I was just wondering what you have growing on your soil now? Are there any legumes? Something doesn't add up with a lime recommendation of only 1 ton/acre. The pH scale is logorithmic (each point of pH is 10 x more acidic than the one above) and 5.1 seems too far down the scale for that amount of application. A buffer pH which is basic (>7) while the soil pH is acidic (<7) doesn't make sense to me.

Dan O.

The acidity measured in a soil and water mixture is designated as active acidity and is a measure of the pH environment of the root. This does not represent the total amount of acid in a soil. Soils have a large reserve supply of acidity held by clay and organic matter particles or in aluminum and iron compounds. As calcium and magnesium carbonates from aglime neutralize the active acidity in the soil solution, more acidity is released into solution from the reserve supply and the pH does not rise. This resistance to a pH change is called buffering. Buffering capacity of a soil is a function of the clay and organic matter content as well as the amount of aluminum and iron compounds. Soils that are highly buffered require more lime to raise the pH because they have a larger supply of reserve acidity that must be neutralized. Florida soils are aparantly "lightly buffered", allowing the PH to be easily neutralized with small amounts of lime.

In most laboratories, the buffering capacity (total acidity) is determined by mixing a special solution (buffer solution) with soils and measuring the change in pH. This test is labeled "Lime Index" (also called "SMP Buffer pH&quot. Lime requirements are calculated on the basis of change in pH of the buffer solution.



Edited by - Sag...again on 10/03/2002 10:46:25

Sag; I understand what you are saying and I agree with it. The high buffer value is possible (adding a fixed quantity of standard base solution and measuring the final pH) but is much higher than I've seen with a soil pH of 5.1. My charts do not even go above a pH of 7.0. The lime recommendation is less than a ton/acre at that pH (7.0).

This definitely brings to light the problems of someone trying to use a simple pH meter to determine lime needs. The ion exchange capacity of that soil must be almost zero. I would also question the fertility levels in the soil even if the pH is corrected. A final point is that no one ever mentions the agricultural index of the lime. This could be an important factor in reaching the target pH if large quantities of lime are required.

Dan O.

Dan, ???????

HIs (FlDeerman) soil buffer value is 7.6 (not a pH)

His soil active pH is 5.1

To bring his soil pH from 5.1 up to 6.5, the test calls for 1 ton/acre of lime.

As an example: A mineral type soil with a pH of 5.5 and a "Lime Index, SMP buffer pH value" of 6.4, would require 7 tons/acre lime to bring the active soil pH from 5.5 up to 6.5.

Yes, a buffer value of 7.6 would be off the charts for the Midwest, NE, or most of Canada, .... but Florida, ??????? we should be that lucky, but, Florida most likely has to fertilize alot more than we do. ???????

Edited by - 1sagittarius on 10/03/2002 21:07:57

Silly me,I thought this would be a simple question.I didn't know I needed a degree in chemistry.I talked to my Extension Service and she put it in plain english.Up where I hunt the soil doesn't leech that bad,with the clay mix,but in my yard!!!After the last tropical storm,one hour later,all the water was gone.

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.