• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Devaka Cooray
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Nancy Reading
  • Timothy Norton
  • r ranson
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
  • paul wheaton
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • M Ljin
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Eino Kenttä
  • Jeremy VanGelder

What is the pH of Compost?

 
Posts: 158
6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Just curious.....for this purpose lets say that the compost was made of plant material like grass clippings, leaves, and woodchips
 
pollinator
Posts: 2392
105
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Strictly speaking, compost doesn't have a pH. It's the water that leaches off of the compost, or the compost tea that has hydrogen ions that you can measure and put on the pH scale.

That said, the more rotted it is, the more humic acids that have formed, the more acidic it will be. If the pile went through a lactic acid fermentation, or if you made your compost with something like spoiled silage, you could have an acidic pH down in the 4 range.

It's hard to think of how you could get an alkaline compost, something that after you soak it in water, it measures higher than 8. If you put a whole lot of wood ash on the compost pile, that might bump the pH up.
 
Do the next thing next. That's a pretty good rule. Read the tiny ad, that's a pretty good rule, too.
Freaky Cheap Heat - 2 hour movie - HD streaming
https://permies.com/wiki/238453/Freaky-Cheap-Heat-hour-movie
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic