PH Change in soil Peat Moss & Oyster Shells Stabilization Time

I put in a fair amount of obligated involuntary officers (red wigglers) into my 27 gal sips and after looking at my worms, the acidity of the soil is killing them. These guys are not happy. I have buffered the soil with tons of peat moss (Premiere Sphagnum Peat Moss) and then added oyster shells (Down to Earth Brand) to counter the ph swing.

How long does it take for the ph of the soil to stabilize?

In my previous searches I have found varying answers from a couple days to weeks. I know I should buy a ph test strip kit and that is on my list.

If it's Sphagnum peat moss not Sphagnum moss, i'd expect it to be really acidic rather than neutral.
The oyster shell will likely take a lot longer than lime to break down. Haven't used oyster shell as an amendment before though, so can't say for sure, but would assume it to be the case.
Did you lime as well?
I'd likely top dress some lime.

How long does it take for the ph of the soil to stabilize: How long is a piece of string?

I do think a means of testing ph is necessary. At least after composting / cooking your mix, so you can check the ph before planting.

Top dress some lime, cross your fingers and hope it doesn't take too long.

Hope it turns around for you. Worst case scenario it's a good learning curve anyway.

GL

Jesusgrowsmygrass said:

I put in a fair amount of obligated involuntary officers (red wigglers) into my 27 gal sips and after looking at my worms, the acidity of the soil is killing them. These guys are not happy. I have buffered the soil with tons of peat moss (Premiere Sphagnum Peat Moss) and then added oyster shells (Down to Earth Brand) to counter the ph swing.

How long does it take for the ph of the soil to stabilize?

In my previous searches I have found varying answers from a couple days to weeks. I know I should buy a ph test strip kit and that is on my list.

Click to expand...

Most peat sold is ph'd neutral from the supplier, but you should check first.
Dolomite lime will raise soil ph

On the bag I see "no soil additives." The product I used was this one https://buildasoil.com/collections/bases/products/canadian-sphagnum-peat-moss

I crushed oyster shells contain calcium carbonate in a higher proportion than dolomite lime, this is the chemical that causes the PH to rise. Basically it seems like the same stuff just minus magnesium.

On a side note the worms look healthier today than yesterday, I think it is starting to work.The problem is if I add dolomite lime and the crushed oyster shells are already added, what is the risk on an overdose?

I have wet the beds again and top dressed all of them with a little bit more oyster shells in hopes to solve the problem. The test strips come tomorrow so I should know more soon.

So I remember reading something about not wanting to use dolomite lime for some reason and I just came across this post by Hyroot that tells the desired ratio of cal:mag, I figure he is a trusted source...

https://www.rollitup.org/t/mindless-cal-mag-usage.951910/#post-13860107


hyrootWell-Known Member
You have plenty of cal and mag in your soil mix. You don't need to add any. Theres only trace amounts in tap water.

You want 5:1 ratio of cal:mag. Partly why you don't want to use dolomite lime. It has the wrong ratio of 2:1. Plus it takes 2 years to break down...

Crab shell meal, neem cake, rock dusts, karanja meal all have cal and mag and kelp meal has cal. Worm castings and compost have cal and mag too.