I just made up a new batch of soil mix this morning. I usually use Scotts av mix and add perlite and charcoal to it. This time I bought canadian peat moss and added perlite and charcoal. I bought a ph tester and used it on the mix and it registered 6.9 to 7 about. I understand that violets do best at about 6.2. Optimara says as low as 5.9. My Grow for show book says 6.2 to 6.9. I though I would like to lower the ph to at least 6.5 or so. Has anyone added vinegar to their potting mix to lower the ph? If so, how did you do it? I was thinking of adding about 2 or 3 tablespoons of white vinegar to a gallon of water and mixing it in the soil, letting the soil rest for a day or so, and then retesting.
What do you think?
Nanna
Adding Vinegar to adjust the soil ph
Stop don't add this. Why Optimara says so low ? but must mean as low; an Ideal range for Afircan violets is 6.4 - 7.4
And perfect is 6.8-6.9
I will add more next posting ~
Ok you know your soil PH is going to change when you add water and food to start with...
I have read many, many books.
One great one African violets Queens of the indoor Gardening Kingdom ~ By Melvin J. Robey ~
I am just going to write a brief review on this important subject of African violets preferr an acid mixture. What is meant by an acid mixture? An alkaline one ? How is something called PH related to African violets ? It's nice to know a little bit about these subjects.
The designation PH is used to tell you how acid or alkaline a soil mixture is. With a small kit like Nanna used you can check your PH.
African violets prefer a range from 6.4 to 7.4 but the ideal they love is 6.8-6.9 would be perfect. BUT your plants will do quite well in a range of 6.4 to 7.4. When the PH is higher or lower than these numbers it will make it difficult for the roots to take plant food from the soil mixture. Imporper PH will also stunt the growth of the roots.
Meaning ingredients you select for your soil mixture important affect on your PH of you soil. Peat moss and humus are two excellent ingredients to use in a potting mixture. Both of these help keep soil mixture on the acid side of the PH scale.
After you check your PH if the soil is too acid you can add lime to the soil mixture and bring the PH up to the ideal range. The best time to do this is while mixing your ingredients . It is possible to add lime to potted plants but a little more risky. There are three kinds of lime from which you can choose to use; pure limestone, dolomititic limestone , and hydrated lime. Of the three dolomitic is the best beacasue not only does it change the PH of the soil mixture it adds important plant foods ( calcium and magnesium) . Hydrated lime is considered " Hot" and can burn roots and cause severe damage. Make sure measurements is correct don't use the wrong size measuring spoons don't spill solutions on your Av's.
Dolomitic limstone, the size of the individual granules should be concidered. The finer the material, the quicker it breask down and lime will also dissolve and be gone from the soil mixture quicker. If you have a choice from what your store carries use fine dolomitic limestone is soil mixture is strongly acid, and the coarser if the OH is just below the ideal range of 6.4.
A soil mixture serves four basic functions which all African violets need for survial. The roots of the plannt become anchored in the soil, allowing the plants to hold themselves up proudly to show off their flowery ornamentation. Plant food , so vital in all stages of the development of Av's, is stored in the soil-mixture. Water , which is needed to allow a plant to absorb the plant food and carry on photosynthesis and growth functions, is also stored in the mixture. Finally the last function of the soil mixture is to store oxygen needed to keep the plant roots alive.
~~ Just about any kind of soil mixture you use will allow a plant to send roots down to anchor itself and store food. NOW THE TRICk is to create soil mixture that allows for proper balance between the water and air it needs to store for plant use. You want your soil to have equal proportions of air and water stored in the soil. This is one reason why the use of organic materials in the soil keeps the air and water in proper balance.
The most important is discovering a mixture which works well for you and your plants ~
I like to check PH after watering and food added.
Also don't forget African violets ideal PH range is 6.4-7.4 and 6.8-6.9 is PERFECT. :))
Hmmm .. never have checked the PH of my AV mix. Guess I better do that. Someone (Laurie, maybe) mentioned not long ago that plants that were repotted every two months seemed to do better, and now I'm wondering if it has to do with PH levels.
Sharon
Great, Allison. I haven't added anything as yet. I seem to remember that canadian syrugum (sp) peat has the perfect ph for violets but I couldn't find where I read it. The perlite will lighten the peat and charcoal will keep it fresh. Thanks for the information. I didn't know that ph had such a wide range for violets.
Sharon if you re-pot every 4-6 months ( Miniature more often) a mature plant should be fine. Now a baby I start in 2 inch, 2.25. 2.50, 3 inch and so on. But Miniatures never larger than a 2.50 inch pot. And I re-pot always into a new bleached pot and some new soil. I also re-pot when needed more than length of time. Works good for me.
I have found that my mature standards that are continual bloomers do better being repotted more that every 6 months. It's more like every 4 months.
I grew all mine by leaf and only have a few large ones and I trans-plant when needed and never keep track so I'm sure it's more than twice a year. I'm sure everyone's plants are different.
I do know Miniatures need trans-planting a lot more often.