Lower soil ph houseplants

by Lucy
(Yorkshire)

My tropical plants (philodendrons, monsteras, scindapsus, epipremnums, etc) have a soil of around 7 PH. But they need a ph of around 5.5 or 6 (please correct me if I’m wrong).

Im trying to bring the ph down a little bit so that they can uptake nutrients better.

I have a moisture/ph meter to read that (I know, not very useful but I will buy an electronic one to do the job).

This is the product I bought to the job:

• biobizz bio PH down (attached on photo)

I want to mix it with my fertilisers, which are these:

• dyna-gro foliage pro
• liqui-dirt (plant food)
• superthrive (I want to buy this one but I don’t know whether that would be useful, please let me know 🧐)

Any warnings or suggestions?

Thank you!

Comments for Lower soil ph houseplants

May 06, 2022 Way too organized! by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist I would never be able to keep it all straight, so kudos for being so organized. I would keep records on what I used on which plants, so you can refer back in future. I’ve never used any of these products except the Super Thrive. I like that stuff, but nothing will give you the effect you want except the perfect growing conditions (ie: the right temperature and light levels). If you want to go this route, cool. For me, using worm castings tea was all I needed for lush healthy plants, and that seems a lot simpler than four separate products. More on how to make worm castings tea. If you decide you really have to change the pH, use a small amount of dolomite lime sprinkled on the top of the soil, and watered in. Don’t over do any of these things – small amounts in moderation work best.

May 07, 2022 Doesn’t lime raise the PH? by: Your name I thought lime raised the ph? which wouldn’t be what I’m looking for here because my ph is already on 7 to 8 I bought the PH down to mix it with my fertilisers and water my plants with it. However, upon further research, it seems that a quick decrease of ph could potentially be bad for the plants as some of the nutrients in the soil would become rapidly toxic for the plant? Very complex things omg. Any further insight?

May 07, 2022 Ah yes by: Jacki I see where you’re going – yes, a massive change would shock the plants. Most plants don’t seem to be concerned too much with slightly higher or lower pH than what is recommended. If your water is high in minerals, water with bottled water for a while, and if you truly want to experiment, put a couple of drops of vinegar in it to lower the pH. DON’T do this on all your plants, in case it’s too much for them. Just try it on duplicates or ones you don’t mind losing.