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Asked by ghtooma ·March 17, 2024 ·5.52k readers

Making "poor" soil with KNF

How do you make "poor" soil with KNF? I know blueberries want acidic(PH between 4 and 5), nutrient poor soil but how does that work with KNF? Would it be as easy as adding more cleanser and less food to the maintenance solution and test and adjust until the PH is low enough? Should one take an IMO collection under a wild bush and the microbial life would make the soil acidic? Or would the blueberry bushes just make the soil they want given the right building blocks and I'm overthinking it? How much agency do plants have to make the environment right for them given the same inputs?

acidic-soil poor-soil blueberries

Top answer

From the KNF library

From the KNF library Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books · Sep 2026 · 5 sources

Drake recommends building the biology and skipping the pH chase. The library says to stop chasing pH directly, build soil biology with IMO and matched mulch, and let the microbes manage pH in the root zone. (Office Hours Apr 2026, 22:59)

That speaks to your last question. Plants and microbes work as a pair. Microbes convert nutrients into forms plants can absorb, and plants pay them in sugars. (Unravelling the Mysteries of KNF, p. 73)

On the IMO question, the library says the collection site affects plant yield in one trial. (Unravelling the Mysteries of KNF, p. 118) It also says IMO are adapted to their local micro climate. (Cho's Solutions, p. 11) That supports collecting near your crop. It does not say a wild-bush collection acidifies soil.

For poor soil in general, the library says a boost with nutrients helps. (KNF Demystified, p. 14)

The library does not cover blueberries, target pH of 4 to 5, or shifting cleanser and food ratios to lower soil pH. That part needs Drake's look at your setup.

Sources

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