Vinegar for lowering soil pH? Anyone do this in landscape / house plants?

[Marcos]

I saw on the Dave's Garden site, and some others, about how it's a common practice by some organic-minded folks to lower the pH of soils by adding small amounts of white vinegar into the plant's needed waterings.

The general consensus that I've seen averages about 2 tablespoons of vinegar per gallon of water, applied within drip line and slightly farther out, and of course, not on the foliage.

Anyone do this?

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I've traditionally used organics like cottonseed meal and peat moss for acid-hungry plants like pansy, pink hydrangea, some junipers, boxwood, alberta spruce, dogwood, American redbud, etc...

But if the area is too wet (clayey) for that, I've gone with spilt-pea sulfur and /or iron sulfate to lower pH instead.
( Aluminum sulfate for BLUE hydrangeas.)


I'm dealing with a range of between 7.3 to 8.0 here... in generally clay-loam soil.

Any other ideas?

[ICT Bill]

There is a thread on PH in the organic section
I don't know if it will help or not with house plants. I don't think vinegar is a good choice. What do they use in the west to help acidify alkaline soils?

[Marcos]

There is a thread on PH in the organic section
I don't know if it will help or not with house plants.

I scanned through the organic forum but all I found was pH blogs about TURF.
...a much different animal, as you certainly know, than the landscape.

If there's a thread I missed...reply with the name of it please!


I don't think vinegar is a good choice. What do they use in the west to help acidify alkaline soils?

[B]Vinegar sounds pretty harsh, granted....but think about the relative concentration.
2 tablespoons to a gallon = 1 oz vinegar to 127 oz water.
That's VERY dilute !

What do they use "out West" in the landscape to acidify the soil?
You got me.

[ncls]

we use pickling vinegar, 9%, as opposed to 5% regular strength, as a fence line grass killer, and weed killer on organic customers sites. Google for dilution ratios.