Most vegetables want a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Enter your current pH, your target, the area, and your soil texture, and this calculator estimates how much ground limestone or elemental sulfur you need. Treat it as a starting estimate — a real soil test always wins, and healthy compost-amended soil buffers pH swings on its own.
Enter your current soil pH, your target, the area, and your soil texture. Get a rough estimate of ground limestone (to raise pH) or elemental sulfur (to lower it) — in pounds.
How it’s figured — read this
This is a rough estimate, not a lab recommendation. Rates used: ground limestone per 1.0 pH unit per 1,000 sq ft — sandy 40 lbs, loam 70 lbs, clay 100 lbs; elemental sulfur — sandy 8 lbs, loam 12 lbs, clay 18 lbs. Clay resists pH change, sand changes fast. Never try to move pH more than about 1 unit in a single application — split it across seasons and retest. A real soil test (often $15–20 through your state extension) beats any calculator.