Advice please for moist soil....

Good morning all.
Currently in the process of creating a reasonably wide border which runs the length of our garden.
Problem is that our garden slopes a fair bit downhill from front to back.
As I'm getting near the bottom it's beginning to level out but the soil is very damp and is not likely to dry out. It's not clay, it's a lovely peaty type soil that breaks up fairly easily.
It's showing a pH level of 8.
What advice could you offer me to
A) Help the soil drain easier (I'm assuming sand)
B) How to lower the pH.
C) Some ideas on plants that could tolerate soil that is likely to be much moister than the rest of the garden
Many thanks
Rob

 

Hi,

A picture would help as would some idea of the size of the border and also how much sun it gets ?

What does sound unusual is that if it gets the rainwater(acid) collecting down there and is a peaty soil (also acid) why is the ph so high at 8 ?

What are you using to measure the ph, a test kit that needs water adding or a probe /meter ?

 

Hi Ricky,
I'll take a picture later to give you an idea of size mate.
The area concerned is in the shade for the mornings, sun gets on it around 1pm and is there for the rest of the day.
I am using one of those probe testers, purchased it off of amazon but made sure I went for the one that got the most positive reviews, (not that that is always a true reflection!!)
Thanks for your response
Rob

 

Hi,

Might be worth taking some ph readings from around the rest of the garden and see if all your soil is reading as naturally alkaline ?

Try putting it into a plant pot thats full of just commercial peaty compost, they are typically ph 7 or below.

 

Hi again Ricky,
Checked the other areas of the garden when we got the tester last week and the readings I got were advising me it was neutral.
As I want to plant a few Azalea's and I know we need an acidic soil for those I have added the necessary treatments to help bring it down a bit.
I didn't check the area I am now digging over as there were a lot of brambles and bindweed there so it needed tidying up quite a bit.
Rob

 

Hi,

Have no idea how large your garden is, or what could be causing just one area to be so alkaline.
Not a new build ? or is your area on limestone etc ?

My thoughts would be to use a liquid test kit to confirm your probe readings or even send some soil samples for proper testing.

If your soil really is ph 7 or greater , you may be tempted to add peat or chemicals to alter the ph to suit the Azaleas etc, but over a year or so it will return to its original ph and the plants will suffer. You can continue will chemicals etc to constantly change to ph, but the plants will not be that happy with such changes.
Even the water you use can affect them, most tap water is at least ph 7 or greater and would also need treating, as we have to with our acid loving Blueberries in tubs.

The alternative is to grow such plants in pots, though thats perhaps not what you want ..

 

Just a thought - when I got some cheap pH paper from China, I tested it by trying it on vinegar and bleach just to confirm that it was ok! Might be worth checking your probe tester...

 

Hi Rick
I'm not planning to put Azalea's in the spot I'm talking about. They have gone in another part of the garden where the results were between 6 and 7.
We have a couple of Azalea's that are well established already which were here when we moved in 19 years ago, and they are perfect, never had a problem with them at all. I'll get a paper testing kit and double check with that but I'll also try what Caroline suggests with some vinegar etc. to test that the probe version is working as it should.
Thanks

 

Having read the pros & cons here. I am begining to think, you, my friend have hit upon a draigae sump.

pH 4.5-6.0 is favoured by Azaleas. Your test is showing what, around 8.0 Here on this tiny island of ours, we do manage to do some wonderful things. So may we tip toe thro' the tulips. So to speak.
Firstly reading pH levels, there is more involved than a bit of simple basic arithmatic. Never mind. In simple terms. If you want to alter the pH value from above 7.0 (considered neutral) above that indicating alkalinity. Below, thua making the soil more acidic, then much organic, green manure needs to be dug in. In reverse to change from acidic below 7.0 to alkaline then add chalk, lime and such like.

I would be inclined to have your testing method checked. This will at least give you a sound basis to work from. Nevertheless the soggy patch remains. Sorry old friend but. You might even be the proud owner of an underground spring. Best wishes.

 

Nail on the head I think Mike......

 

Hi Caroline. Thanks for the tip.
I tried it first thing this morning, (I'm an early riser lol!!).
In bleach, the indicator needle went off the scale, as you would expect.
In vinegar??? The needle dropped slightly from it's resting place (8) to 7.
Tried it 3 or 4 times, and it wouldn't drop below that, so something isn't right.
Paper testing kit on the way.