Soil pH in McDowell, WV: Lime or Sulfur?

Typical topsoil pH in McDowell, WV

Typical topsoil in McDowell, WV is pH 4.42, too acidic for vegetable garden. Expect roughly 24.2 lb of lime per 100 sq ft, but only after a soil test confirms it.

What McDowell needs, by plant

• Just outside, test first: blueberries (off by 0.1), azaleas and rhododendrons (off by 0.1).
• Lime: lawn (cool-season grass) 24.2 lb/100 sq ft over 5 applications; vegetable garden 24.2 lb/100 sq ft over 5 applications; tomatoes 24.2 lb/100 sq ft over 5 applications; potatoes 12.7 lb/100 sq ft over 3 applications; strawberries 18.4 lb/100 sq ft over 4 applications; roses 24.2 lb/100 sq ft over 5 applications; blue hydrangeas 9.2 lb/100 sq ft over 2 applications; pink hydrangeas 20.7 lb/100 sq ft over 5 applications.

What to do next

If your test confirms pH near 4.42, spread about 242 lb of ground limestone per 1,000 sq ft of vegetable bed in 5 doses, ideally in fall.

How mixed the soil is

Of the 252,134 surveyed acres in McDowell, WV, 93% are strongly acidic (below 5.5), 4% are moderately acidic (5.5-6.5), 4% are near neutral (6.5-7.3). Mapped soils run from pH 4.1 to 7.1, a spread of 3 units across 30 soil components. 93% of the land falls in one class, so the county figure is a fair first guess for most yards here.

Clay, organic matter and rates

Topsoil here averages 14.1% clay and 6.83% organic matter, which this site treats as clay. At 6.83% organic matter the soil buffers like a heavier one, which pushes it into the clay bracket. Moving it one pH unit takes about 11.5 lb of lime or 3.4 lb of sulfur per 100 sq ft. None of the mapped components carry free carbonate.

McDowell against the rest of West Virginia

pH 4.42 is 0.73 below the West Virginia median of 5.15. 0 of 55 West Virginia counties have more acidic topsoil. Nationally it is more acidic than the US county median of 6.05.

Closest in pH within the state: Boone (4.59), Mingo (4.64), Nicholas (4.66), Logan (4.74).