I’m new to trying to create more acidic soil for certain shrubs I want to have. I want to do it right the first time so thank you! I’m looking forward to seeing more of your videos🙂
Thank you for the information. I am swimming backwards with some blueberry plants that were planted prior to checking the soil pH. How often would I need to repeat these 4 steps before the soil becomes a self sustaining acidic soil? Thank you!
It might stay acidic, but unlikely, usually because of the water pH. Also, consider using a top dress mulch over root zones like Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss or Pine Needles or Pine Bark Mulch- all excellent at increasing acidity. Check your soil pH at 6 months and see if you need to repeat the steps or can wait longer before repeating again.
@@JohnandBobs I have a few questions for you, I live in Hawaii...I believe its zone 13...its pretty much summer year round here... Q1- Can we grow any type of vegetable at any time of the year being that we dont have snow??? Q2- On most seed packets I purchase I notice they say the perfect time to plant seeds is so much weeks after frost date...DOES HAWAII HAVE A FROST DATE? Q2
@@Gator3000 Hi there! The best thing you can do is look up your exact zone. Your zone will tell you when the predicted first frost date is - in your zone (13), it is possible to have very mild frosts. With that being said, the tropical climate of Hawaii is excellent for growing many varieties of fruits, vegetables and plants in general. What types of veggies are ou wanting to grow?🌱
@@JohnandBobs this is my second year of serious gardening, so far I've only grown tomatoes successfully, I failed at sweet peppers, failed at broccoli and failed at carrots...definitely a learning experience...I want to try to grow all those I mentioned and onions this year... I'll definitely look into my frost date...I was taking it as a literal term...lol
@@Gator3000 Yes, you can grow many Spring/Summer vegetables year round and you can ignore timing based on frost. You don't have the proper climate to grow many fruit trees that require a certain amount of chilling hours and you'll probably struggle with fall/winter vegetable crops that prefer cool weather. Thank you for your interest! -John
I have been using your products for over thirty years when they were advertised on Sharon and Bruce asakawa’s radio show. Since using them my home has become an award winner thanks to your products. I live in Merced California. I buy your products online and from my local garden center. I was in Clovis last week. Do you have a factory store in Fresno or Clovis?
That is awesome - congrats! We are overjoyed to know we have helped play a roll in your award winning garden. Thanks for sharing that with us :) We make all our products at our business headquarters in Clovis.
Daniel, You go back a long way with us. Thank you for your long time support! We enjoyed working with Bruce, Sharon, John Bagnasco and the gang. You are welcome to pick up product from us at our Fresno facility anytime. Call us at 559-291-4419 to arrange that :)
@JohnandBobs how long have you had this product line? Have your soil amendment products been around 30 years now? What's been your longest standing product?
@@JohnandBobs Hi John & Bob thanks for the great video , I have a question, in my area I have hard water and I grow acid loving plants I’ve tried amending ph of the water by adding white vinegar and ph testing to know I’m getting the right colour eg water from blue 7.5 ph to a light green 6.0/6.5 which in theory is correct water ph but I’m still getting slight yellowing of the plants leaves , I’ve read that the pros use sulphuric acid injection systems which is logical as you can use sulphur to correct the soils ph I’m a little worried about using it as it’s a dangerous substance I’m currently using 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 10 litres of my water which by the colour chart seems to be right, what am I doing wrong. Whenever I can I use rain water that I catch off the roof and they love it but I can’t store enough of it so the only solution i have is to use my tap water and try to amend it any advice would be greatly appreciated.
What I did was to go into a forest looked for a patch of wild blueberries, dug up the soil below the blueberries and worked it in... very acidic soil. From then onwards I basically put in only ph neutral or slightly acidic stuff to keep the acidicity.
@@JohnandBobs I tried it once a few weeks ago, when I did a ph soil test under my sick citrus trees in my greenhouse it was limey. Figured out the quickest way to get acidicity in naturally would be to work in acidic soil. It helps that the small forest I got the soil from belongs to me anyway and is literally loaded with patches of wild blueberries. The soil there has around ph 5, my greenhouse soil after working it in and doing other stuff like adding coffee grind into a local compost, making my limey water slightly acidic by using vinegar in the water, now is between 5.5 and 6 whenever I test it and the Citrus in the glasshouse are way happier now, the damage is done, but the new growth seems to be healthy again, and there is lots of it!
Thank you, very informative so saved this to my video favourites. The UK is to ban the use of peat based composts so looking to make acid garden compost from kitchen & garden waste, rhododendron leaves, oak leaves, bracken and conifer cuttings to improve my garden soil which is on 100% green sand.
@@tanyasteers4802 I just found out it takes decades if at all for the environment to recover from it being taken. Sadly it’s offered everywhere in the gardening market.
Hi, am in Spain with very alkaline clay. I am copying the farmers that use phosphoric acid to initially neutralize the alkalinity. It also ultimately adds phosphorus to the soil and oxygen. I don’t think any amount of sulfur would reduce my pH of 8+ to a growing pH of 6-. The compost will follow but it’s a long term job
My goal would be to get the pH below 8 and then aggressively amend with beneficial soil microbes, food for microbes and attractants for microbes using good quality compost and or products like ours (unfortunately John&Bob's is not available in Spain). You are correct, it is not a particularly fast process. I view at as an incremental process and as each increment occurs gardening/landscaping successes will be more prevalent and with that success subtle improvements in your soil will be noticeable. - John
In a dense flower garden, can I add sulfur on top of the soil then dress compost over the garden in between plants? Or does the sulfur and compost need to be cultivated into the top of the soil?
@@JohnandBobs Thank you! This is very helpful. I have just managed to get my hands on 4 blueberry plants and I need to acclimatize them to the heat of Pune. If they live through this summer, I will be really thankful.
@@Peoplespilates For one Blueberry shrub I recommend the following: Excavate a hole 3x the width and 2x the depth of the root ball of the blueberry shrub you are planting. Discard/set aside 1/2 of the native excavated soil. Replace the discarded soil with about the same amount of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss and mix it thoroughly with the saved excavated native soil. Mix into the peat moss/native soil mixture 1cup Tiger90 Organic Soil Sulfur(available online from Arbico Organics), 1cup John&Bob's Optimize, 2 cups John&Bob's Nourish Biosol, 3cups John&Bob's Maximize. Mix all ingredients well and use the mixture as backfill to plant the blueberry in the large excavation so that the top of the blueberry root ball finishes at about 1/2" above finish grade around the excavation. Then use about 2" of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss or Earth Worm Castings as a top dress mulch over the root zone of the newly planted blueberry. This will provide you nice, lively acid soil that will grow great blueberries! Thank you for your interest and support! -John
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment and our sincere apologies on the delay - somehow we missed it! -Tiger90 is an excellent brand of soil sulfur that is pretty widely available. We use their organic sulfur in one of our products. If you can't find Tiger90 or one you're certain is high quality, we can sell it to you, but the shipping might cost more than the product itself. -The items mentioned in this video are: organic soil sulfur, organic matter (Optimize), soil life (Maximize), and organic fertilizer (Nourish-Biosol). You can find the last three items on our website: www.johnandbobs.com. Hope that helps! :)
Thanks for shedding light on a confusing subject. I live on the Gulf Coast south of Houston and have lemons and grapefruit. My soil is clay with some river sand and has a pH between 7 and 7.5. My trees have good leaves and putting out new ones, but blooms are scarce. They have good drainage. Do you have any ideas?
If your pH is between 6 and 7.8 use of our products will result in the pH moving closer to 7, up if it's low and down if it's high. This is accomplished by the magic of beneficial soil microbes. Focus on infusing your soil with life and making it as healthy and lively as possible and that should help improve blooms. 🌸
April, You can use clover as cover for blueberries, but I haven't seen that done, probably because the pH preferences of each don't match well and the invasive nature of clover. A good winter cover for blueberries is annual rye and summer cover/companion planting w/ blueberries is basil!
Hello. Dumb question. How does the soil sulfur itself, when applying, affect earthworms? I had just put in a bunch of earthworms and then I put the organic sulfur in and some of the earthworms appeared to react like they were getting burned. Maybe my imagination?
Great question! Maybe not your imagination. I would only use soil sulfur if you know your pH to be way too high - 8 or more. If less than that, I would rely on soil life, food for life and attractants for life to moderate and optimize pH.
can't find an answer to this but, can you acidify one part of a garden? I was planning on growing some blueberries on one side of my garden while I grow more of the neutral crops on the other side. or is it just best to stick to big garden pots?
Help! I used pool salt and 30 percent vinegar to kill a patch of bamboo. Now, i want to replant but am afraid ive ruined the soil for good. Im in zone 9b, full sun. Thanks for your advice.
You can always re-infuse your soil with life! It just might take some time. I would recommend using our Penetrate and Blend after replanting to kick start the development of beneficial soil life.
Peat moss is great for acid loving plants like blueberries and azaleas. It can also help soil retain moisture. It is good in the right situation. It doesn't add life to soil like compost and contains no plant nutrients.
@@_sunshine_rainbows It’s sadly true... peat bogs are whole ecosystems that gain organic matter in terms of 1mm (0.025 inches a year!) the process is really slow and the extraction of peat moss is really destructive just in itself and it obliterates carbon sink that when destroyed release huge amounts of trapped CO2 in the atmosphere! So no it is not sustainable.. but there are other green options! :) Look at coco coir for example!
i have a black lace elderberry baby... it was given to me a few months ago. Was about 6-7 inches tall. It hasn't grown at all. It hasn't died, either... just.. frozen in time. Would it be due to the soil not being acidic enough?
Hello! Elderberry will grow well in regular soil as long as pH is less than 7.5 - it doesn't need or perform better in acidic soil. It does need quite a bit of sun. Use 3 cups of Blend over the root zone and then spray it drench over the Blend with our Penetrate Liquid Biotiller. That will jumpstart its growth. Thank you for your comment! - J&B's
Thank you for that sir I have small curry leaf plant in-doors (UK) ! I planted it in normal compost approx 4 years ago as I thougt at the time it would be ok, but plant has been struggling and very slow growing. However I've since learnt that these plants like acidic soil so was wondering if using the (Organic soil sulfur) would make it healthy. Any advice on this please Sir?
Tiger 90 makes an organic and non organic soil sulfur, and it can be called elemental sulfur. There is not a big difference in terms of benefits, but our 3rd party organic designations require the use of exclusively organic ingredients. We believe our organic designations are important in communicating the benefits/advantages of our products.
Human urine is accepted as good fertilizer for plants, not necessarily specific to blueberries though. It's 95% water w/ significant macro-nutrient content. It doesn't acidify soil like blueberries prefer. My take is your own urine can be used as an all purpose fertilizer if you are healthy with a healthy diet and generous water consumption and no ingested drugs or antibiotics and urine shouldn't be used if that isn't the case. Even if from an extremely healthy source it should be diluted by about 8parts water to 1 part urine if you are placing it directly in the root zone of relatively small plants. It contains a significant amount of nitrogen, which is quite an effective way to feed plants, but can burn in some situations if undiluted.
Have you done a video or analysis on the composition of soil itself? From my limited browsing, it looks like adding any kind of wood material or compost in the preparation of the soil (when digging and planting) is considered bad for long term health of plants; instead soil should be a simple composition of sand/clay/silt/Peat Moss/Perlite/crushed volcanic rocks if available, etc. All the nutrients like compost should only be added on surface of soil and not where the roots live deeper. Do you agree?
Essentially yes, I agree. However, an exception is when planting plants/trees in the full sun that don't belong in the full sun. In this instance I dig large planting holes and amend the backfill with a generous amount of organic matter in order to keep roots moist/cool when atmospheric temperatures are high. We have covered not adding wood based products to backfill in quite a few past videos, including our "how to plant a tree" video. However, we have not yet made it the main topic in a video. -John
@@JohnandBobs Great! I will browse around for other videos in your library. I guess with patience, the new plant itself would pull in all the ingredients in organic matter through the surface; maybe we can supplement the mycorrhizal build up with organic fertilizers. My guess is that plants will live longer when they are not "super charged" with high NPK steroids.
No, not normal or good. Several possibilities, my best guess is unavailability of key nutrients because of too high soil pH. I would apply 1/2 cup of our 'Blend' and 1/2cup Tiger 90 granular soil sulfur. You can get the soil sulfur at a good price from Arbico Organics. 🫐🫐☀️
Hi Jim, You can buy soil sulfur from Arbico Organics online. Optimize will keep indefinitely as long as it is stored properly. Hope this helps! - J&B's
Peach and Nectarine trees respond tremendously to 6lbs of our Blend applied topically over the root zones followed by a drenching 8oz of our Penetrate Liquid Biotiller in about 5gallons water over the Blend.
@@JohnandBobs thank you! I sent your soil clay amendments to my daughter, so she can amend her soil on a small scale. She is creating a bird sanctuary and that clay soil is tuff.
Unless you end up with Asian Jumping Worms am dealing with them now here in NW PA. Spreading thru-out the country and experts have no clue on how to eradicate safely.
These relatively new worm invaders are a serious problem with no current solution. Several interesting possibilities are being studied, including beneficial soil fungi. Hopefully, promising control mechanisms will be developed in 2022. We are watching the research closely.
Ok First what is soil PH ! TWO - type of soil clay or sandy loam ? 3 - If clay break up if possible and add gypsum 4. If water is high pH acidify water and declorinate it? 5. Feed soil with a molasses spray 6. Mow to keep weeds down.
Hi! I need advice. I have two blueberry plants that I need to pot. I’m zone 7a and thought it would be easier to pot with my landscape. I added the wrong ingredient to the soil and I need to basically reverse it. Since I haven’t potted the blueberries yet, should I dump the soil and start again or add the necessary ingredient to lower ph to make it more acidic? I don’t have a soil test kit to see what the ph is and it may not show for another two weeks as I just did it the other day.
Could be? We use Tiger 90 Soil Sulfur and Tiger 90 offers both organic and non-organic. For our 3rd party organic certifications we are required to use organic sulfur. I have inquired several times to our supplier what distinguishes organic from non-organic and every time they responded by saying they're not sure and will have to get back to me. So, I'm not sure, I'll have to get back to you.
Yes, cow manure compost will help make your soil more acidic. Amending your soil each season with compost/organic matter is one of the most effective ways to maintain healthy soil for blueberries.
I'm not a fan of coffee grounds as a soil amendment - caffeine is actually a problem. Vinegar can acidify soil, but for convenience and overall boost for soil health, Number one on my list is granular soil sulfur as per our video.
I use diluted coffee for all my acid loving plants and I'm my experience its working well for me.... 1/2 a pot of coffee with water the rest of the pot.
Please consider reviewing our Increase Soil Acidity video again. We do not mention throwing sulphur into a water drum. It is specifically about soil applications of a fast dissolving Tiger90 granular sulfur to lower soil pH.
I live out of the country with very alkaline soil where none of these manufactured products are available.... so it's not really 'natural' if you have to buy a PRODUCT instead of what is naturally available anywhere. How about some info that is more 'homely and really natural'?
I'm not sure your specific location, but our video emphasizes the best way to lower pH (increase acidity & decrease alkalinity) is soil sulfur, which is available almost everywhere. I would be surprised if you can't get it in your country. Try to find granular Tiger90 Soil Sulfur - if not available, any good quality soil sulfur will work.
Coffee ground, mulching with fallen fruit, wood chips, human urine in diluted amounts. All of these will add acidity to your soil and are completely free. Be creative with what you do have access too, if you have pineapple juice that is acidic and has sugar to feed soil microbes. Build a pond to increase biomass is your area. Just do something
So increasing soil acidity naturally by purchasing the products you're selling? I appreciate the information but it doesn't seem all that naturally to me.
Fair advice, but it all sounds like a sales pitch. I think we're all trying to do this without spending money on something we can produce, like organic home grown compost. What can we use instead of your store bought products? That's what we want to see.
We try to include home style ways to improve soil, but not when a purchased product is the best option. In this case we don't sell soil sulfur or benefit from its purchase at all. It is simply the best way to acidify soil.
We don't sell many of the products in our videos, which are recommended along with products we have developed during our 44years in business. Thanks for the comment!
Actually, dirt and soil are 2 different things. We sell organic soil amendments that help you create soil full of beneficial life! Think of our products as a shortcut to making your own compost.
You do a great job of promoting your own products but little for a cheap solution as I’m sure you don’t give your products away. Sphagnum moss is the cheapest quickest way to reduce soil ph and 3 cu ft bag covers a large area and is relatively cheap. Shame as I this was just an ad.
We try to include home style ways to improve soil, but not when a purchased product is the best option. In this case we don't sell soil sulfur or benefit from its purchase at all. It is simply the best way to acidify soil. But, if you find ways that works then that is all that matters! Happy gardening to you. 🤗🌱
Sidenote: Canadian Sphagnum peat moss is a good soil acidifier. Also, we do not sell my #1 recommendation, which is granular soil sulfur. Also, if you buy at a good price, like from Arbico Organics, it should be less expensive than acidifying w/ peat moss. -John
Actually, our products are a great value when you properly consider what they do. Many compare our products to ammonia sulfate or Miracle Grow, which are bad for soil. Our products provide a great value if compared to compost or compost like products that feed/build the soil while nourishing your plants rather than feeding your plants while damaging your soil. John&Bob's provides a simple, convenient way to change/improve your soil at about 1/3 the cost. We appreciate your comment :)
@@JohnandBobs Great value and low cost are two different animals my friend. I haven't used the product so I can speak to the value, but it's not low cost.
Yes, we believe in our products! The concepts in this video can be achieved through other organic methods as well. We have found that John & Bob's is the most cost effective and quick way to get healthy, living soil versus compost which is a lot more time consuming and can get expensive. Thanks for your comment :)
@@JohnandBobs What a shocker that you defend this video when it is actually a cheap way to market your products as evidenced by the video title. Just admit it and stop trying to defend yourselves. We can all see through it.
He provided a lot of useful basic information. There are other outlets for products similar to theirs. Don't see anything shameful about plugging your own product.
Sandy James, with a name like that I would have expected a sweeter more alkaline comment but instead your comment is rather acidic. Try a mouthful of lime of wood ash before commenting further.
You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. You must love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus the anointed is Lord! Repent and be baptized and believe the Gospel.
I clicked on this video because I saw you with your dog. Love it thank you
Great! We're happy you found us, Chip especially 🐾
I’m new to trying to create more acidic soil for certain shrubs I want to have. I want to do it right the first time so thank you! I’m looking forward to seeing more of your videos🙂
We're glad you're on this journey with us!
@@JohnandBobs thank you for replying as well! Can your products be used in the fall? I have sandy soil and am wanting to plant a few shrubs real soon
@@connie6705 We recommend early Fall applications (right about now)!
I'm a Fresno Native appreciate the information 🇺🇸🧑🌾💨
Love hearing from other locals!
I add pine bark soil conditioner to the potting soil. Breaks down quickly, drains well and saves money on potting soil.
Pine needles are great for acidity too......anything pine/evergreen related is acidic.
Thank you! I am experimenting some blueberries from seeds here in the tropics.i dont know what to add to compost.hope that blueberries can thrive.
Hi I’m in subtropical Australia and bought a good Azalea/gardenia potting soil for blueberries as it is 4.5 to 5.5. So here goes!🤞🤞
What a great educational video! Learned a lot about soil conditioning. I am all for not using NPK synthetic fertilizers that destroy micro organisms
Thank you! This is exactly what we aim to do. Appreciate the comment!
Thank you for the information. I am swimming backwards with some blueberry plants that were planted prior to checking the soil pH. How often would I need to repeat these 4 steps before the soil becomes a self sustaining acidic soil? Thank you!
It might stay acidic, but unlikely, usually because of the water pH. Also, consider using a top dress mulch over root zones like Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss or Pine Needles or Pine Bark Mulch- all excellent at increasing acidity. Check your soil pH at 6 months and see if you need to repeat the steps or can wait longer before repeating again.
Found this video, just in time! Thanks.
We are so glad to hear that! Happy gardening to you ☺️🌱
All your products have given me great results.
Thx and please stay safe during these rare times.
That is awesome! We are so happy to hear that. Thanks for watching :)
I already know how to lower soil pH but I clicked for the dog in the thumbnail ❤ ( I learned some things too)
Chip is the true star of our channel 🐶💚
Thanks for The Video.
Thanks for watching! 🤗
Thank you! This was helpful!
You're welcome!
Im so happy i found you John...
We're happy you found us too! 🌱
@@JohnandBobs I have a few questions for you, I live in Hawaii...I believe its zone 13...its pretty much summer year round here...
Q1- Can we grow any type of vegetable at any time of the year being that we dont have snow???
Q2- On most seed packets I purchase I notice they say the perfect time to plant seeds is so much weeks after frost date...DOES HAWAII HAVE A FROST DATE?
Q2
@@Gator3000 Hi there! The best thing you can do is look up your exact zone. Your zone will tell you when the predicted first frost date is - in your zone (13), it is possible to have very mild frosts. With that being said, the tropical climate of Hawaii is excellent for growing many varieties of fruits, vegetables and plants in general. What types of veggies are ou wanting to grow?🌱
@@JohnandBobs this is my second year of serious gardening, so far I've only grown tomatoes successfully, I failed at sweet peppers, failed at broccoli and failed at carrots...definitely a learning experience...I want to try to grow all those I mentioned and onions this year...
I'll definitely look into my frost date...I was taking it as a literal term...lol
@@Gator3000 Yes, you can grow many Spring/Summer vegetables year round and you can ignore timing based on frost. You don't have the proper climate to grow many fruit trees that require a certain amount of chilling hours and you'll probably struggle with fall/winter vegetable crops that prefer cool weather. Thank you for your interest! -John
I have been using your products for over thirty years when they were advertised on Sharon and Bruce asakawa’s radio show. Since using them my home has become an award winner thanks to your products. I live in Merced California. I buy your products online and from my local garden center. I was in Clovis last week. Do you have a factory store in Fresno or Clovis?
That is awesome - congrats! We are overjoyed to know we have helped play a roll in your award winning garden. Thanks for sharing that with us :) We make all our products at our business headquarters in Clovis.
Daniel, You go back a long way with us. Thank you for your long time support! We enjoyed working with Bruce, Sharon, John Bagnasco and the gang. You are welcome to pick up product from us at our Fresno facility anytime. Call us at 559-291-4419 to arrange that :)
@JohnandBobs how long have you had this product line? Have your soil amendment products been around 30 years now? What's been your longest standing product?
Thank you very much for the info!!!
Glad it was helpful!
great vid and extra info of the most important fact look after your microbes and they look after your plants. Thanks guys
Exactly! Rather than fight Mother Nature, just help her out and she will return the kindness to all your plants💚
@@JohnandBobs Hi John & Bob thanks for the great video , I have a question, in my area I have hard water and I grow acid loving plants I’ve tried amending ph of the water by adding white vinegar and ph testing to know I’m getting the right colour eg water from blue 7.5 ph to a light green 6.0/6.5 which in theory is correct water ph but I’m still getting slight yellowing of the plants leaves , I’ve read that the pros use sulphuric acid injection systems which is logical as you can use sulphur to correct the soils ph I’m a little worried about using it as it’s a dangerous substance I’m currently using 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 10 litres of my water which by the colour chart seems to be right, what am I doing wrong. Whenever I can I use rain water that I catch off the roof and they love it but I can’t store enough of it so the only solution i have is to use my tap water and try to amend it any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Great video, well explained and concise. So great to you hear you talking about soil life, I'm very much looking forward to seeing your other videos.
Not enough garden people talk about soil life!! 🪱🪱🐞 Glad you found us 💚
What I did was to go into a forest looked for a patch of wild blueberries, dug up the soil below the blueberries and worked it in... very acidic soil. From then onwards I basically put in only ph neutral or slightly acidic stuff to keep the acidicity.
That is a very clever solution! How long have you been using this method? Are your plants/soil still doing well?
@@JohnandBobs I tried it once a few weeks ago, when I did a ph soil test under my sick citrus trees in my greenhouse it was limey. Figured out the quickest way to get acidicity in naturally would be to work in acidic soil. It helps that the small forest I got the soil from belongs to me anyway and is literally loaded with patches of wild blueberries. The soil there has around ph 5, my greenhouse soil after working it in and doing other stuff like adding coffee grind into a local compost, making my limey water slightly acidic by using vinegar in the water, now is between 5.5 and 6 whenever I test it and the Citrus in the glasshouse are way happier now, the damage is done, but the new growth seems to be healthy again, and there is lots of it!
Thank you, very informative so saved this to my video favourites. The UK is to ban the use of peat based composts so looking to make acid garden compost from kitchen & garden waste, rhododendron leaves, oak leaves, bracken and conifer cuttings to improve my garden soil which is on 100% green sand.
Do you know the pH of your soil?
Why would the uk ban that specific type of compost?
@@Ang.0910 it's not environmently friendly
@@tanyasteers4802 I just found out it takes decades if at all for the environment to recover from it being taken. Sadly it’s offered everywhere in the gardening market.
Another beautiful video.
Thank you! Cheers!
Organic ph
1. Soil sulpher
2. optimize
3.soil life
4.
Thank you very much for the useful info on increasing soil acidity.
You are most welcome! Glad you found it helpful :)
Hi, am in Spain with very alkaline clay. I am copying the farmers that use phosphoric acid to initially neutralize the alkalinity. It also ultimately adds phosphorus to the soil and oxygen. I don’t think any amount of sulfur would reduce my pH of 8+ to a growing pH of 6-. The compost will follow but it’s a long term job
My goal would be to get the pH below 8 and then aggressively amend with beneficial soil microbes, food for microbes and attractants for microbes using good quality compost and or products like ours (unfortunately John&Bob's is not available in Spain). You are correct, it is not a particularly fast process. I view at as an incremental process and as each increment occurs gardening/landscaping successes will be more prevalent and with that success subtle improvements in your soil will be noticeable. - John
Amend with grass clippings and plant corn. Chop and drop. Rotate with pok choy, cabbage etc. Introduce IMO's everytime.
In a dense flower garden, can I add sulfur on top of the soil then dress compost over the garden in between plants? Or does the sulfur and compost need to be cultivated into the top of the soil?
You can apply it topically and then dress with compost.
Great video, this is SO helpful!
We're so gad to hear that! Best of luck to you on your soil journey! 🌱
Hello. Love your products. What manufacturer of sulfer do you recommend? Thank you in advance.
Sorry. Just saw you answered question below.
We use an excellent granular soil sulfur called Tiger 90!
How much sulphur to add to a container?
1g container -1/4cup; 5gal container 1/2cup; 15g container 1cup
@@JohnandBobs Thank you! This is very helpful. I have just managed to get my hands on 4 blueberry plants and I need to acclimatize them to the heat of Pune. If they live through this summer, I will be really thankful.
@@Peoplespilates For one Blueberry shrub I recommend the following:
Excavate a hole 3x the width and 2x the depth of the root ball of the blueberry shrub you are planting.
Discard/set aside 1/2 of the native excavated soil. Replace the discarded soil with about the same amount of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss and mix it thoroughly with the saved excavated native soil.
Mix into the peat moss/native soil mixture 1cup Tiger90 Organic Soil Sulfur(available online from Arbico Organics), 1cup John&Bob's Optimize, 2 cups John&Bob's Nourish Biosol, 3cups John&Bob's Maximize.
Mix all ingredients well and use the mixture as backfill to plant the blueberry in the large excavation so that the top of the blueberry root ball finishes at about 1/2" above finish grade around the excavation.
Then use about 2" of Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss or Earth Worm Castings as a top dress mulch over the root zone of the newly planted blueberry.
This will provide you nice, lively acid soil that will grow great blueberries!
Thank you for your interest and support!
-John
Easy to understand Thank you
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching :)
Good information! Thanks for sharing! 👍
Thanks for watching!
Informative! Peat Moss, will that help? Sir?
Yes, peat moss does acidify soil.
Where did you get the sulfur? Can you list the items you mentioned in the video?
Hi Paul, thanks for your comment and our sincere apologies on the delay - somehow we missed it!
-Tiger90 is an excellent brand of soil sulfur that is pretty widely available. We use their organic sulfur in one of our products. If you can't find Tiger90 or one you're certain is high quality, we can sell it to you, but the shipping might cost more than the product itself.
-The items mentioned in this video are: organic soil sulfur, organic matter (Optimize), soil life (Maximize), and organic fertilizer (Nourish-Biosol). You can find the last three items on our website: www.johnandbobs.com. Hope that helps! :)
Thanks for shedding light on a confusing subject.
I live on the Gulf Coast south of Houston and have lemons and grapefruit. My soil is clay with some river sand and has a pH between 7 and 7.5. My trees have good leaves and putting out new ones, but blooms are scarce. They have good drainage.
Do you have any ideas?
If your pH is between 6 and 7.8 use of our products will result in the pH moving closer to 7, up if it's low and down if it's high. This is accomplished by the magic of beneficial soil microbes. Focus on infusing your soil with life and making it as healthy and lively as possible and that should help improve blooms. 🌸
Awesome video!
Thanks for watching! :)
Could you use clover as a cover crop? For blueberries.
April, You can use clover as cover for blueberries, but I haven't seen that done, probably because the pH preferences of each don't match well and the invasive nature of clover. A good winter cover for blueberries is annual rye and summer cover/companion planting w/ blueberries is basil!
@@JohnandBobs thank you so much for the information!! Yah bless!
❤ Thanks for your video I’ve subscribed to your UA-cam channel from Ireland ❤
That’s great! Thanks for watching ☺️🌱💚
Thanks it was to the point
You're welcome! Thanks for watching :)
Pine needles/cedar should help with acidity right?
Yes, that can be effective along with Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss.
Hello. Dumb question. How does the soil sulfur itself, when applying, affect earthworms? I had just put in a bunch of earthworms and then I put the organic sulfur in and some of the earthworms appeared to react like they were getting burned. Maybe my imagination?
Great question!
Maybe not your imagination. I would only use soil sulfur if you know your pH to be way too high - 8 or more. If less than that, I would rely on soil life, food for life and attractants for life to moderate and optimize pH.
Can these things be done for indoor potted plants?
Yes, the principles in this video can be used on indoor plants :)
Bet you are growing pot
can't find an answer to this but, can you acidify one part of a garden? I was planning on growing some blueberries on one side of my garden while I grow more of the neutral crops on the other side. or is it just best to stick to big garden pots?
Yes, you can acidy parts of your garden or even just certain plants. That's what is done with Hydrangeas to create blue flowers. - John
@@JohnandBobs brilliant thankyou!
Ty
What brand is your soil sulfur, I have not seen it and can't see the brand in your video.
I like Tiger90 granular soil sulfur. Arbico Organics sells it at a good price online. - John
@@JohnandBobs Thanks John
Thanks a lot! Happy growing and happy planting to us!
You are welcome :) Happy planting and thanks for the comment!
John and Chip!
Chip and John! Two of my favorite plant-aholics 💚😛
I live in PHX, az where pH is 8.5+... How much and often should I apply sulfur? I have a young mango tree that I should lower pH to 6/7 I think
Water it with phosphoric acid injected into irrigation ( or in watering can)
Help! I used pool salt and 30 percent vinegar to kill a patch of bamboo. Now, i want to replant but am afraid ive ruined the soil for good. Im in zone 9b, full sun. Thanks for your advice.
You can always re-infuse your soil with life! It just might take some time. I would recommend using our Penetrate and Blend after replanting to kick start the development of beneficial soil life.
I would like links to these products please in the description section.
Our apologies. Updated the description to include the product links. You can also go to our website to see all our products: www.johnandbobs.com
Is peat moss good, I used it on my pink hydrangeas and waiting for them to turn blue?
Peat moss is great for acid loving plants like blueberries and azaleas. It can also help soil retain moisture. It is good in the right situation. It doesn't add life to soil like compost and contains no plant nutrients.
@@JohnandBobs thanks
@@JohnandBobs i went to buy some today and was told its unsustainable and not to buy it :(
@@_sunshine_rainbows All our products are readily available at johnandbobs.com and our annual 20% Spring sale ends on Sunday!
@@_sunshine_rainbows It’s sadly true... peat bogs are whole ecosystems that gain organic matter in terms of 1mm (0.025 inches a year!) the process is really slow and the extraction of peat moss is really destructive just in itself and it obliterates carbon sink that when destroyed release huge amounts of trapped CO2 in the atmosphere! So no it is not sustainable.. but there are other green options! :) Look at coco coir for example!
Good information 👍
Glad to be a help! 🌱☺️
i have a black lace elderberry baby... it was given to me a few months ago. Was about 6-7 inches tall. It hasn't grown at all. It hasn't died, either... just.. frozen in time. Would it be due to the soil not being acidic enough?
Hello!
Elderberry will grow well in regular soil as long as pH is less than 7.5 - it doesn't need or perform better in acidic soil. It does need quite a bit of sun. Use 3 cups of Blend over the root zone and then spray it drench over the Blend with our Penetrate Liquid Biotiller. That will jumpstart its growth.
Thank you for your comment! - J&B's
@@JohnandBobs thank you so much for the reply. :)
Thank you for that sir
I have small curry leaf plant in-doors (UK) !
I planted it in normal compost approx 4 years ago as I thougt at the time it would be ok, but plant has been struggling and very slow growing.
However I've since learnt that these plants like acidic soil so was wondering if using the (Organic soil sulfur) would make it healthy.
Any advice on this please Sir?
Yes, organic soil sulfur will lower the pH. Online retailer "Arbico" sells it at a good price.
Use dynamic lifter n seaweed solution
thank you
You're welcome!
clear and simple instructions. thank you!!!
Glad you enjoyed our video. Thank you for watching! :)
Thank you for the video. What exactly is an "organic sulfur"? Is that elemental sulfur?
Tiger 90 makes an organic and non organic soil sulfur, and it can be called elemental sulfur. There is not a big difference in terms of benefits, but our 3rd party organic designations require the use of exclusively organic ingredients. We believe our organic designations are important in communicating the benefits/advantages of our products.
How well would uric acid work for blueberries? Would pissing in my planters occasionally (pre-fruiting, of course) be beneficial?
Human urine is accepted as good fertilizer for plants, not necessarily specific to blueberries though. It's 95% water w/ significant macro-nutrient content. It doesn't acidify soil like blueberries prefer. My take is your own urine can be used as an all purpose fertilizer if you are healthy with a healthy diet and generous water consumption and no ingested drugs or antibiotics and urine shouldn't be used if that isn't the case. Even if from an extremely healthy source it should be diluted by about 8parts water to 1 part urine if you are placing it directly in the root zone of relatively small plants. It contains a significant amount of nitrogen, which is quite an effective way to feed plants, but can burn in some situations if undiluted.
Where do I get your soil, sulfur?
Have you done a video or analysis on the composition of soil itself? From my limited browsing, it looks like adding any kind of wood material or compost in the preparation of the soil (when digging and planting) is considered bad for long term health of plants; instead soil should be a simple composition of sand/clay/silt/Peat Moss/Perlite/crushed volcanic rocks if available, etc. All the nutrients like compost should only be added on surface of soil and not where the roots live deeper. Do you agree?
Essentially yes, I agree. However, an exception is when planting plants/trees in the full sun that don't belong in the full sun. In this instance I dig large planting holes and amend the backfill with a generous amount of organic matter in order to keep roots moist/cool when atmospheric temperatures are high. We have covered not adding wood based products to backfill in quite a few past videos, including our "how to plant a tree" video. However, we have not yet made it the main topic in a video.
-John
@@JohnandBobs Great! I will browse around for other videos in your library. I guess with patience, the new plant itself would pull in all the ingredients in organic matter through the surface; maybe we can supplement the mycorrhizal build up with organic fertilizers. My guess is that plants will live longer when they are not "super charged" with high NPK steroids.
my new blueberry plants in pots leaves are turning purple is that normal
No, not normal or good. Several possibilities, my best guess is unavailability of key nutrients because of too high soil pH. I would apply 1/2 cup of our 'Blend' and 1/2cup Tiger 90 granular soil sulfur. You can get the soil sulfur at a good price from Arbico Organics. 🫐🫐☀️
Do you sell the soil sulphur? or do you have a link for it? I do not see a warning to use Optimize in a timely matter so it does not go bad.
Hi Jim,
You can buy soil sulfur from Arbico Organics online. Optimize will keep indefinitely as long as it is stored properly.
Hope this helps! - J&B's
Enjoyed the video
Thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed the video! 😀
Very good. Thanks
You're welcome!
How to treat my saturn peach and nectarine trees 🍃 stinking together?
Peach and Nectarine trees respond tremendously to 6lbs of our Blend applied topically over the root zones followed by a drenching 8oz of our Penetrate Liquid Biotiller in about 5gallons water over the Blend.
@@JohnandBobs thank you so much 🙏❤ I really appreciate it.
I have a 99.9 organic sulfur supplement, can I use that in the soil?
Yes you can. It will work well to raise the pH.
@@JohnandBobs thank you! I sent your soil clay amendments to my daughter, so she can amend her soil on a small scale. She is creating a bird sanctuary and that clay soil is tuff.
Unless you end up with Asian Jumping Worms am dealing with them now here in NW PA. Spreading thru-out the country and experts have no clue on how to eradicate safely.
These relatively new worm invaders are a serious problem with no current solution. Several interesting possibilities are being studied, including beneficial soil fungi. Hopefully, promising control mechanisms will be developed in 2022. We are watching the research closely.
Do you mean like the Asian jumping worm?
@@ralsharp6013 that is what I have here in the garden and they are devastating.
Jumping worms 😬
I can see doing this for soil that was abused with chemical sprays of any kind.
Yes! Especially helpful for soils constantly abused with chemical sprays and treatments.
Ok
First what is soil PH !
TWO - type of soil clay or sandy loam ?
3 - If clay break up if possible and add gypsum
4. If water is high pH acidify water and declorinate it?
5. Feed soil with a molasses spray
6. Mow to keep weeds down.
Thank lots Sir...
You're Welcome :)
can someone name the 4 products that can be found in home depot and lowes that are mention in the video organic???please
These products are not available at home depot, but can be purchased from our website: www.johnandbobs.com
I keep hearing people recommend elemental sulfur. Is there a difference than the one you recommend?
The Tiger90 sulfur we recommend is elemental sulfur and it doesn't easily leach through the soil profile as other forms of sulfur do.
Hi! I need advice. I have two blueberry plants that I need to pot. I’m zone 7a and thought it would be easier to pot with my landscape. I added the wrong ingredient to the soil and I need to basically reverse it. Since I haven’t potted the blueberries yet, should I dump the soil and start again or add the necessary ingredient to lower ph to make it more acidic? I don’t have a soil test kit to see what the ph is and it may not show for another two weeks as I just did it the other day.
Specifically, what is in the pot that you plan to put the blueberries in?
Aluminium can also be toxic right?
Yes, it can be.
good info. takes me back to my organic gardening days. the microbiome of the soil is key.
Exactly! A diverse, healthy soil food web is the key to having a happy and thriving garden :)
Wth is "organic" sulphur? Is it similar concept as "organic" water?
Could be? We use Tiger 90 Soil Sulfur and Tiger 90 offers both organic and non-organic. For our 3rd party organic certifications we are required to use organic sulfur. I have inquired several times to our supplier what distinguishes organic from non-organic and every time they responded by saying they're not sure and will have to get back to me. So, I'm not sure, I'll have to get back to you.
Vinegar is much less expensive and water soluble.. How will that work?
In nature, aciditty is achieved by the fermentațion of the fallen fruits, on the ground.
Aluminium sulfate is alum?
It is not always the same thing, though sometimes it may be referred to as alum. Alum by itself often refers to potassium alum. Great question!
Hello sir
Cow dunk compost is sweet able to increased the soil acidic conditions and maintain the soil PH for blue Berry's farming ?
Yes, cow manure compost will help make your soil more acidic. Amending your soil each season with compost/organic matter is one of the most effective ways to maintain healthy soil for blueberries.
Last thing I need here.
Vinegar? Coffee grounds?
I'm not a fan of coffee grounds as a soil amendment - caffeine is actually a problem. Vinegar can acidify soil, but for convenience and overall boost for soil health, Number one on my list is granular soil sulfur as per our video.
@@JohnandBobs okay thank you!
my soil is 7-7.5. i need to acidify it to 6.0 roughly
Tiger 90 organic soil sulfur would be very effective. You can purchase it online from Arbico Organics. www.arbico-organics.com/
Very educational...Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I use diluted coffee for all my acid loving plants and I'm my experience its working well for me....
1/2 a pot of coffee with water the rest of the pot.
If it works well, keep at it! -John
Took your advice Threw some Ag Sulpuhr into Drum of water
DID NOT DISLOVE and more imp DID NOT CHANGE PH OF WATER.
Please consider reviewing our Increase Soil Acidity video again. We do not mention throwing sulphur into a water drum. It is specifically about soil applications of a fast dissolving Tiger90 granular sulfur to lower soil pH.
Or just use lemon juice?
Sure! That's possible with heretofore unforeseen amounts of lemon juice!!
😁🍋
I live out of the country with very alkaline soil where none of these manufactured products are available.... so it's not really 'natural' if you have to buy a PRODUCT instead of what is naturally available anywhere. How about some info that is more 'homely and really natural'?
I'm not sure your specific location, but our video emphasizes the best way to lower pH (increase acidity & decrease alkalinity) is soil sulfur, which is available almost everywhere. I would be surprised if you can't get it in your country. Try to find granular Tiger90 Soil Sulfur - if not available, any good quality soil sulfur will work.
Coffee ground, mulching with fallen fruit, wood chips, human urine in diluted amounts. All of these will add acidity to your soil and are completely free. Be creative with what you do have access too, if you have pineapple juice that is acidic and has sugar to feed soil microbes. Build a pond to increase biomass is your area. Just do something
So increasing soil acidity naturally by purchasing the products you're selling? I appreciate the information but it doesn't seem all that naturally to me.
Just put veggie scraps in your garden
That too! ☺️🥬🥕🌱🪱
Fair advice, but it all sounds like a sales pitch. I think we're all trying to do this without spending money on something we can produce, like organic home grown compost. What can we use instead of your store bought products? That's what we want to see.
We try to include home style ways to improve soil, but not when a purchased product is the best option. In this case we don't sell soil sulfur or benefit from its purchase at all. It is simply the best way to acidify soil.
Why can't you just say lowering or raising
So, an Advert.
We don't sell many of the products in our videos, which are recommended along with products we have developed during our 44years in business. Thanks for the comment!
old man is just trying to sale me dirt.
Actually, dirt and soil are 2 different things. We sell organic soil amendments that help you create soil full of beneficial life! Think of our products as a shortcut to making your own compost.
You do a great job of promoting your own products but little for a cheap solution as I’m sure you don’t give your products away. Sphagnum moss is the cheapest quickest way to reduce soil ph and 3 cu ft bag covers a large area and is relatively cheap. Shame as I this was just an ad.
We try to include home style ways to improve soil, but not when a purchased product is the best option. In this case we don't sell soil sulfur or benefit from its purchase at all. It is simply the best way to acidify soil. But, if you find ways that works then that is all that matters! Happy gardening to you. 🤗🌱
Sidenote:
Canadian Sphagnum peat moss is a good soil acidifier. Also, we do not sell my #1 recommendation, which is granular soil sulfur. Also, if you buy at a good price, like from Arbico Organics, it should be less expensive than acidifying w/ peat moss. -John
Asian jumping worms
The first 60 seconds was about complete nothing, the guy forces us to subscribe for nothing, just skip it bravely.
We apologize if you found the intro unnecessary. This was on of our first videos, we have improved our video format since
Too bad it's not neil and bob.
haha sounds like we might need to change our name 👀😂
Your products are FAR from low cost.
Actually, our products are a great value when you properly consider what they do. Many compare our products to ammonia sulfate or Miracle Grow, which are bad for soil. Our products provide a great value if compared to compost or compost like products that feed/build the soil while nourishing your plants rather than feeding your plants while damaging your soil. John&Bob's provides a simple, convenient way to change/improve your soil at about 1/3 the cost. We appreciate your comment :)
@@JohnandBobs Great value and low cost are two different animals my friend. I haven't used the product so I can speak to the value, but it's not low cost.
@@yoyomurph9613 cheap a55 lol 😆
Errr..., "Lowering" soil acidity...., increasing it will make it more alkaline.
Increasing the pH makes the soil more alkaline, increasing acidity actually lowers the pH.
@@JohnandBobs exactly 👍
just trying to sell their own products
Yes, we believe in our products! The concepts in this video can be achieved through other organic methods as well. We have found that John & Bob's is the most cost effective and quick way to get healthy, living soil versus compost which is a lot more time consuming and can get expensive. Thanks for your comment :)
@@JohnandBobs
What a shocker that you defend this video when it is actually a cheap way to market your products as evidenced by the video title. Just admit it and stop trying to defend yourselves. We can all see through it.
He provided a lot of useful basic information. There are other outlets for products similar to theirs. Don't see anything shameful about plugging your own product.
Sandy James, with a name like that I would have expected a sweeter more alkaline comment but instead your comment is rather acidic. Try a mouthful of lime of wood ash before commenting further.
@@jimreid9674 Perfecto
You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. You must love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus the anointed is Lord! Repent and be baptized and believe the Gospel.