Soil pH in McKean, PA: Lime or Sulfur?

Typical topsoil pH in McKean, PA

Typical topsoil in McKean, PA is pH 4.84, too acidic for vegetable garden. Expect roughly 11.9 lb of lime per 100 sq ft, but only after a soil test confirms it.

What McKean needs, by plant

• Already in range: blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons.
• Just outside, test first: potatoes (off by 0.2), blue hydrangeas (off by 0.2).
• Lime: lawn (cool-season grass) 11.9 lb/100 sq ft over 3 applications; vegetable garden 11.9 lb/100 sq ft over 3 applications; tomatoes 11.9 lb/100 sq ft over 3 applications; strawberries 8.4 lb/100 sq ft over 2 applications; roses 11.9 lb/100 sq ft over 3 applications; pink hydrangeas 9.8 lb/100 sq ft over 2 applications.

What to do next

If your test confirms pH near 4.84, spread about 119 lb of ground limestone per 1,000 sq ft of vegetable bed in 3 doses, ideally in fall.

How mixed the soil is

Of the 622,438 surveyed acres in McKean, PA, 77% are strongly acidic (below 5.5), 23% are moderately acidic (5.5-6.5). Mapped soils run from pH 4.1 to 6.5, a spread of 2.4 units across 233 soil components. 77% 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 16.7% clay and 3.84% organic matter, which this site treats as loam. Moving it one pH unit takes about 7 lb of lime or 2.3 lb of sulfur per 100 sq ft. None of the mapped components carry free carbonate.

McKean against the rest of Pennsylvania

pH 4.84 is 0.47 below the Pennsylvania median of 5.31. 2 of 67 Pennsylvania counties have more acidic topsoil. Nationally it is more acidic than the US county median of 6.05.

Closest in pH within the state: Forest (4.57), Elk (4.8), Clinton (4.84), Warren (4.91), Jefferson (4.96), Clearfield (4.98), Pike (4.99).

The range in Pennsylvania runs from Forest at 4.57 to Greene at 6.07; McKean sits 18% of the way up.