Ammonium Sulfate

Is it safe to add ammonium sulfate (Epsoma quick solutions) to soil when the ph reading is above 8? If so how should I go about adding the stuff. I have a bag of it bought from a home and garden shop and it looks like road salt that has been swept up off the streets of Buffalo NY after a long shitty winter. Anyway, on the back the directions read to mix something like 5 pounds per 1000 sq/ft, thus makeing it far more difficult for me to add it into a small pot with about 4 cups of soil/vermaculite, and perlite. Is using about 1 tsp per plant going to help the soil become more acidic?;)

can I mix it in with my spray bottle and which holds about 1/2 gallon and spray it the soil over like a one week time? I would be mixing in maybe like 1/2 teaspoon with 1/2 gallon of water but not giving it to it all at one time, ie the plant uses about a 1/2 gallon of water weekly.

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Originally Posted by gotmeabigwave

Anyway, on the back the directions read to mix something like 5 pounds per 1000 sq/ft, thus makeing it far more difficult for me to add it into a small pot with about 4 cups of soil/vermaculite, and perlite. Is using about 1 tsp per plant going to help the soil become more acidic?;)

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This is another excellent use for that digital scale most of us have kicking around!


Hmmm.... ammonium sulfate.
If my soil pH is high I add peat.
Some people use cider vinegar at 1tbsp/gallon. Cider vinegar I believe is also good for encouraging beneficial soil organisms.
Ammonium is chock-full of Nitrogen and I would not want to get my nutes out of whack.
Not sure what the pH of NH3SO4 is. Hold on while I run down to the chemical closet and make a solution of the stuff. Back to you on that one.

pH=5.3 in deionized water.

So you can dissolve about a tablespoon in a gallon of water, and give your plants a little at a time. Keep testing the pH so you don't overshoot the goal.

In the future when you first make your potting mix is an easier time to adjust soild pH.

Thanks for the reply, the concentration is very high. You hit the spot ritght on the bulls eye with that one. 21-0-0. Nothin but N. Funny because I used to put vinegar in my hydro system about on drop and it would bring the ph right back to normal. I did some research on the net for household products to bring down ph in soil and found nothing except the use of Ammonium nitrate. What meter do you speak of?
:cool:

Holy crap, ammonium nitrate has even MORE N in it than ammonium sulfate! In fact, isn't that the shit from seabird guano that used to be mined for the explosives industry? That N=N bond is good for blowing things up!

The meter I speak of...

I'm a chemist. I'm at work (yes, it's a holiday, I DON'T want to be here!). I have a rather high-end pH meter at my disposal.

For home use, I cheaped out and went with a lifetime supply of pH indicator that General Hydroponics makes. It was $12.

Wait- I'm rereading your post- the digital scale- that's the one for weighing ounces. It's accurate enough for weighing grams of dry fertilizer.

Very very cool, that must be pretty bad ass being a chemist and all. My friend said that ammonium N can be used to make meth. Now I have not a clue as to how, but you say that it can be used in blowing things up? holy crap, and it is sold in gardening stores. I guess gardening of sorts can be a bit on the complicated side. So, anyway, do you have any info on growning any thing else. I need some help with some tomatoes that I have outside grown from seed. They started producing almost 3 weeks ago and now nothing, they look bad. What is happening? I want some juicy fresh tomatoes (romano) make all these peps at my apt jealous. hahaha

Could you please advise a PH Calibration mix of home products that one can put together..Just got the unit, and would like to make sure its right on..
Thanks.

Tomatoes, yay!
I'll betcha you planted a determinate variety. They grow to a certain height, produce a single crop, and die. This is normal.
If you know it was an indeterminate variety, that just keeps growing as long as you want to keep staking it, you may have one of the many viruses that tomatoes are prone to.

Did you know there is a vegetable forum on this site? They like their hot peppers over there.

Stay away from meth. Too artificial and scary.

Yeah, I dont know what the deal is wit the tomatos although I added some of that Sodium N to the soil and have clipped off the dead leaves/branches, and the plant looks as if it may be making a comeback. I'm trying to fertalize here and there but the truth is as it will always be. When you are new to growing crops of any sort, there is much trial and error to be dealt with. I am in that stage right now.

As far as meth goes.... not into the crap. Never done it....never will. I can't seem to see why some go to such lenghts just to ultimately know that they are only creating their own death bed. One that only some may crawl out of. If the chemical is to synthetic....stay away!

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Originally Posted by Treetops

Could you please advise a PH Calibration mix of home products that one can put together..Just got the unit, and would like to make sure its right on..
Thanks.

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Not sure here...what is it that you are trying to accomplish? I believe that ph scale is from 1 up to 14 with 1 being acidic and 14 being base. :thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

Tomatoes, yay!
I'll betcha you planted a determinate variety. They grow to a certain height, produce a single crop, and die. This is normal.
.

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I planted seeds from the Romano variety. I have no idea what they are supposed to do although I think I do still have the seed packet so I might have to just go and take a look see. I was hoping to have some nice plump luschous toms. I am going to remain hopful.;)

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Originally Posted by gotmeabigwave

Not sure here...what is it that you are trying to accomplish? I believe that ph scale is from 1 up to 14 with 1 being acidic and 14 being base. :thumbsup:

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What treetops is asking is whether there is a substance that you can find in your home that you can use to check whether your pH meter is functioning properly.

And you must have been paying attention in class! ; )