How do I raise my low PH and alkalinity levels

[LisaLovesHerPool]

I have a 14' above ground rise & fill. Had a lot of rain lately, but it's stopped thank god. My ph is always low now. I have a starter kit of 3 different chemicals. From hth- Chlorine, Shock 'n Swim, Stabilizer & conditioner,& a bottle of algeside. I have put in chlorine in by spreading it out with a hand sifter over the water. It seems to keep a good chlorine level that way but I bought a float to put tablets in instead. Figured this was a better idea?

No matter how many times I keep my chlorine levels good & put algaeside in, the ph stays in the color range it says to raise it. I do not have numbers on my test kit, just colors of bad to good. I read to put borax in? Why doesn't a starter kit with those three chemicals in it not work??
Did I mention my pool is under a tree branch? Getting leaves, debris, bird droppings & squirrel doo doo, tuns of black ants, fly's & whatever else drops in. AND the water temp as of July 5th is still too cold to swim in! I bought a skimmer net 7 vacuum but still need the hose. I also need a cover obviously!
I have never done any of this before am I doing things right here??

[chem geek]

The use of Trichlor tablets/pucks is very acidic and even the use of Dichlor powder is acidic when accounting for chlorine usage/consumption. So it will tend to keep the pH lower and also will lower the Total Alkalinity (TA) level over time. You can compensate for this by raising the TA level which should be around 120 ppm or so when using these products.

However, continued use of such stabilized chlorine products will raise the Cyanuric Acid (CYA) level over time making your chlorine less effective. So unless you proportionately raise your Free Chlorine (FC) level or use a supplemental algaecide or phosphate remover (at extra cost), then you may get algae in your pool. An alternative would be to use chlorinating liquid or 6% unscented bleach to chlorinate your pool. You can learn more by reading the Pool School.