john h
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Sulfur reacts with soil to form a dilute sulfuric acid which lowers the pH . Hopefully to change an alkaline soil to a neutral one with a pH around 7.
donfletcheryh
High pH presents a problem for plants that must get nutrients via an ion exchange mechanism. Even a small amount of sulphur newly applied to that soil will greatly improve the ion exchange ability.
Sulphur is not added to neutralize the soil so much as to allow the plants to force ions they need into their roots, but to a limited degree some neutralization of alkalinity is occurring.
Soil with a pH as high as 8.2 wil rarely be treated with sulphur, because there are lots of plants able to get their nutrients from that pH soil or below. If you insisted on growing plants that need low pH you should not go for very high pH soil and override it. There is plenty of soil that ia not high pH.
Sandy soil can be made low pH with far less sulphur than can an alkaline clay.
Patrick D
Elemental sulfur (soil sulfur, "popcorn" sulfur) is added to ameliorate problems caused by high pH in the soil solution and high lime. Under either/ both of these alkaline conditions, many of the macronutrients become insoluble and, therefore, unavailable to the plant roots. Soil sulfur will be oxidized into sulfuric acid by indigenous chemilithotropic (chemical feeding) bacteria in the Thiobacillus genera and possibly by some faculative heterotrophs. The sulfuric acid can lower the pH directly or can permanently solubilize carbonates (lime).
the smart chick
sulfur lowers the pH of the soil which makes it easier for the plants to take in the nutrients in the soil and it increases their ability to perform photosynthesis which is "always good". high pH is an alkaline situation and is lowered by the creation of sulfuric acid from the sulfur. a pH near neutral is needed for most life to survive.
Anonymous
first Sulfur is added to soil to provide sulfur for plant growth. It can also be added as an amendment to lower the pH of the soil. If too much is added it can decrease yields of most crops. Many soils in the western US are too alkaline for many crops and the addition of sulfur to neutralize the soil is prohibitive. More acid soils have higher availability of the trace elements and phosphorous than alkaline soils. If you add sulfur in the form of Potassium Sulfate for example you can supply sulfur as a plant food but it will have minimal affect as a soil amendment.