In composts it is probably the selection by the manufacturer of ingredients that determine acidity or alkalinity. With soils it is more to do with underlying bed rocks and what we humans then further add to them.
Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
I'm thinking about my own compost. I tend to shake the soil off before it goes on the heap.. the plants are those that tolerate clay and are watered with London tap water.
Once on the heap they are watered with rain. I have plenty of rich but weedy compost. Can I assume that the alkalinity/acidity is similar to the original soil?
I was going by the rich brown colour more than anything.
I was wondering in the absence of soil, the compost would still have the same qualities as the surrounding soil.. I'm not sure if I've explained it very well
Clear enough to me but to be sure what you have you need to buy a simple soil tester kit from a good garden centre. Very cheap and easy to use but make sure you use distilled water - as for ironing - when you dilute your compost to do the test.
Last edited: 21 October 2016 20:44:17
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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In composts it is probably the selection by the manufacturer of ingredients that determine acidity or alkalinity. With soils it is more to do with underlying bed rocks and what we humans then further add to them.
Home made garden compost is affected by what's gone into it and whether you water it with hard or soft tap water in the event it needs wetting.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I'm thinking about my own compost. I tend to shake the soil off before it goes on the heap.. the plants are those that tolerate clay and are watered with London tap water.
Once on the heap they are watered with rain. I have plenty of rich but weedy compost. Can I assume that the alkalinity/acidity is similar to the original soil?
I was going by the rich brown colour more than anything.
I was wondering in the absence of soil, the compost would still have the same qualities as the surrounding soil.. I'm not sure if I've explained it very well
Clear enough to me but to be sure what you have you need to buy a simple soil tester kit from a good garden centre. Very cheap and easy to use but make sure you use distilled water - as for ironing - when you dilute your compost to do the test.
Last edited: 21 October 2016 20:44:17
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Thanx obelixx