Adjusting ph levels in soil!!??

Hi guys, I'm a bit of a newbie to gardening. I wonder if anyone could help me out with a problem. I'm designing a bed. Ph levels in the bed are around 6 - 7 which I have read is a good level. However, a few plants I plan to put in to the bed require an acidic soil.
My question is - what can I add to the soil to adjust ph levels...preferably organic. Also when would I apply it and how often?

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

You'll be better off digging a bit out and replacing it with an Ericaceous compost rather than trying to lower the ph, which would take some time

 

Hello MikeH Farmyard manure has an acidifying effect on soil. It would need to be well-matured, though, so it doesn't burn roots. If you can source some, dig or rotovate in a barrowload per m2 and then top dress each Spring.

 

Hello and welcome. If a few of the plants need acid soil, but not all, then you'll be better off having the acid lovers in containers of ericaceous compost sunk into the soil. If you don't have the physical barrier of the sunken container, all that will happen is the ericaceous compost will mix with the normal soil over time, as all manner of soil organisms move about down there, plus roots will go out in all directions looking for resources.

 

What sort of plants? As they may be happy with pH=6

I think that just putting some ericaceous soil in "an area" of a bed is a good solution, better to make a completely contained bed, but even then things don't really thrive in my experience (but others here have said that they have had good results doing that)

I avoid growing plants that don't like my soil ... years and years, in my youth, of my Mother trying to grow things that hated our soil has scarred me for life!!

 

I suspect that it is very difficult to change the pH of your beds - whatever you do, I suspect that they will revert in time to their natural pH.

I would agree with the others - if you want a different pH then use pots.

 

I agree with Loofah and PeterS, I have a soil that is PH 7-8 and though there are some acid lovers I would really love to have, there are so many fabulous plants that like alkaline conditions that I can make do!