PH Issues in General

I have never been a big ph watcher in the past but i was just reading about it on wiki and it was pretty interesting.

In order for P to be available for plants, soil pH needs to be in the range 6.0 and 7.5. If pH is lower than 6, P starts forming insoluble compounds with iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) and if pH is higher than 7.5 P starts forming insoluble compounds with calcium (Ca)....(this is plants in general) but they also had a list of what grows in wich ph and this is it.

pH 4.5-5.0 Blueberry, Bilberry, Heather, Cranberry, Orchid, Azalea, for blue Hydrangea (less acidic for pink) , Sweet Gum, Pin Oak.[citation needed]

pH 5.0 - 5.5 Parsley, Potato, Heather, Conifers, Pine, Sweet Potato, Maize, Millet, Oars, Tye, Radish, Ferns, Iris, Orchids, Rhododendron, Camellia, Daphne and Boronia.

pH 5.5 - 6.0 Bean, Brussels Sprouts, Carrot, Choko, Endive, Kohl Rabi, Peanuts, Rhubarb, Soybean, Crimson Clover, Aster, Begonia, Canna, Daffodil, Jonquil, Larkspur, Petunia, Primrose, Violet and most bulbs.

pH 6.0 - 6.5 Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Egg Plant, Pea, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Turnip, Red Clover, Sweet Clover, White Clover, Candytuft, Gladiolus, Iceland Poppy, Pansy, Rose, Snapdragon, Viola, Wallflower, Zinnea and Strawberry.

pH 6.5 - 7.0 Asparagus, Beet, Celery, Lettuce, Melons, Onion, Parsnip, Spinach, Lucerne, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Stock, Sweet Pea and Tulip.

pH 7.1 - 8.0 Lilac, brassica


so i guess if your ph is off you cant absorb the nutrients the plant needs, and you build up gunk that makes your nugs taste like poo. hope this sheds some light to you veggie growers too.

I agree, anyone that says ph isn't important is NUTS...

It is important to the plants certainly (and micro-organisms), but if you grow in soil it isn't something you have to constantly pester with and try to make 'perfect' artificially. I think too many people feel that they need to use pH Up in everything to make their irrigation\fertigation solutions 6.5 on the dot, and I did that myself when I first started and before I learned about soil chemistry and the soil food web.

Dolomite\eggshell neutralizes acidity over the long term, microbes work with plant roots to achieve their own balance, mycorrhizal fungi and organic chelates (humic\fulvic acids) help plants absorb nutrients well outside of the plants preferred pH range. Furthermore N-fixing and nitrifying bacteria want the pH to be at or above 7; all of these organisms produce bio-film that help regulate pH and protect them.