does anyone PH their flower water

[Warren Lake]

We lost a neighbour of 35 years for me here and his daughters let me take two clematis from the home. Nice to remember him. They have not been on a trellis and forgotten about for years. Dug them up and planted today, Far from ideal as its hot and likely a bad time but its now or leave them. I put them each in a bucket of water overnight and planted today. Dug deep, clay out good stuff in then mix of four things to bring back to level. Bone meal thrown in as well. Decided to ph the water so 20 Ml of apple cidar in a 5 gallon home depot pail. Our tap water is 8 all the time. Does anyone actually do this for garden plants or vegetables and does it really make much of a difference. Fanatics that grow cheech and chong plants are religious about it.

[Mel Fulks]

We don’t pay much attention to ph in garden stuff. But we don’t grow vegetables. Most of the better trees get a fertilizer called “Holly Tone.”
Fish emulsion is the best fertilizer to get the better stuff started. When friends ask if it has a bad smell, we say “it doesn’t have an odor….
it’s a STENCH”

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Most home owners I know never have their soil tested. Gardners who are serious and farmers often do. There are quite a few plant science professionals in our community and some amazing gardens. There are also some wise old farmers who know from experience, folklore, and observation what plants need. Clematis likes "Feet in the shade, head in the sun". Overnight in a bucket of water may have been a bit long of a dip. I think it is very special to have plants from important people in ones life. I hope they do well!

PH can have an affect on color with some flowering plants. The folklore I have heard for Hydrangeas is acid for blue, basic for pink.

[Jim Becker]

We do not but understand why it's a good thing to consider...some plants have radically different expectations relative to PH than others for optimal growth.

[Warren Lake]

What I was told is the PH being right gives maximum mineral absorption for plants. I didnt check PH of the soil and my blend of soil was potting soil, triple mix, a friends composted cow manure and some peat moss then added some bone meal. Its all just stuff i have around. I should have looked up soil PH and what suits them but didnt. Roots are shaded on one really well and partially on the other. Neighbour told me but thanks for mentioning it.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, PH does a lot of things. Some plants have noticable changes as the PH moves...some hydrangeas, for example, will change color based on soil PH.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Warren, your mix sounds just right. Peat moss will mildly acidify which should be a good thing.

Here is what a soil test result looks like. It is important if you are going to get serious or invest in improvements.

482076

[Warren Lake]

thanks, net also said to cut them back to 24". Both are different one say four feet left on the ground old stems he had cut off with his whipper the other buried under other stuff just one stem about four feet. The fuller one has no wilted leaves the other single has wilted leaves only on the new growth. Ill just watch them for a day or two and if it makes sense cut them back some amount. Have to make two trellises now.

The story was the same at my families home. I found a broken trellis fixed it, put it up and the plant flourished for the first time in five years.

[Ralph Okonieski]

My garden does not get as much sun as would like and did not produce well the last few years, so I tried a form of hydroponic last year. I had one tomato plant in the garden that I nearly threw it in the garbage. I planted it in my version of hydroponic, placed in the sun and measured water ph every time. That plant turned out to be my best producer. Was it the ph, or the sun or just luck? Wish I knew.

[Bill Dufour]

With hydrangas the flower color is set when the bloom starts. It will not change after it shows it's true color. the soil Ph can change the color but the Ph must be adjusted before the bloom sets. So it takes a season to change colors. Some plants tend blue some tend pink so Ph can only move it so far one way. I think white? do not change at all.
I think cabbage juice can be used instead of litmus paper to measure PH in the lab
Bill D

[Warren Lake]

there are three hydrangas there and they just dont seem to flower really well. Im adding Lupins, Crocisima Lucifer, Delphinum and growing Hollyhocks and other stuff from seed to try it.

One Clematus of the two moved looks happier than the other so will see in the next days. Its easy enough to PH the water but for the garden I put in a fairly large vegetable garden lot easy to use a garden hose than hand water all. That brings if people who are really into it are doing PH then they must have some sort of set up better than hand watering if there is lots to water.

[Stan Calow]

I think if your soil pH is not right, you need to amend the soil, not the water.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I think if your soil pH is not right, you need to amend the soil, not the water.

+1
My BIL is quite the gardener; soils in N.TX are alkaline. To grow hydrangeas or azaleas here, he puts them in raised beds of pure peat moss (to get low pH/acidic). Moss gets an added layer every year, then total redo of beds ~ every 5yrs. Results are stunning. …He does not ‘amend’ the water hose.;)

[Warren Lake]

do they make a kit for soil PH. There is a simple one for water. Not sure if it can do soil as well. Gardens are done so far for vegetables with that same blend more or less. Stuff is growing excellent. As I add more flowers can look those four types of soil I used see if some are more suitable for next stuff planted.

[Malcolm McLeod]

do they make a kit for soil PH. There is a simple one for water. Not sure if it can do soil as well. Gardens are done so far for vegetables with that same blend more or less. Stuff is growing excellent. As I add more flowers can look those four types of soil I used see if some are more suitable for next stuff planted.

In TX, we can just send a soil sample to Texas A&M Ag Research Dept - free, except postage - - I think? (I have heard this, but not done it, so grain of salt is recommended). Perhaps your location(?) has similar service?

[Ron Selzer]

do they make a kit for soil PH. There is a simple one for water. Not sure if it can do soil as well. Gardens are done so far for vegetables with that same blend more or less. Stuff is growing excellent. As I add more flowers can look those four types of soil I used see if some are more suitable for next stuff planted.

Amazon has testers

[Stan Calow]

Here in MO, we can take/send a sample to the county ag agent for testing. You need to take multiple samples in the area of concern, and mix them together to get a representative sample. There are swimming pool test kits that can ballpark the pH of water. But if you're using city water, the city is supposed to publish an annual report with test results, that is either mailed with your water bill or posted online.