Effect Of Soil PH
If you have any gardening experience, you may have observed that plants can be fussy about growing under the right conditions with the Effect of Soil PH.
Just the right amount of sunlight and many other factors can influence your plant’s growing ability.
The soil pH is one of the very important beneficial things to do is get the soil right.
Then some ask what soil pH is.
Soil pH is how acidic or alkaline the soil is made up of.
Soil pH is measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 14.
Soil that is less than 7, then it is acidic.
So that means if your soil has a measurement higher than 7 then it is alkaline.
When the soil measures 7 it is called neutral soil. That means it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Knowing the pH of your soil is very important to know before you plant your garden.
The pH has a direct effect on plants so that they grow healthy and vigorously.
Each plant has a recommended pH value range.
The pH value influences the nutrients that the plant needs for proper growth.
All plants have different nutrient needs with Effect of Soil PH.
For example, the nutrient nitrogen, a very important plant nutrient, is readily available in soil when the pH value is above 5.5.
Similarly, the nutrient phosphorous is available when the pH value is between 6 and 7.
If the plant has the wrong kind of soil, it will lack the right nutrients that it needs for proper growth which in turn can create disease and poor growth.
So, in general practices, the soil needs to be between the 6 and 7 range because most nutrients are available within that range.
Finding out the soil pH is usually a very simple test from a soil pH testing kit.
The kit can be found at most garden centers it is very simple to use and will consist of test tubes and a chart for reading the soil.
For example, the nutrient nitrogen, a very important plant nutrient, is readily available in soil when the pH value is above 5.5.
Similarly, the nutrient phosphorous is available when the pH value is between 6 and 7.
A sample of soil is taken from your garden, placed into the container/test tube and a few drops of testing solution are added.
The container is then shaken and left for a certain period.
The color of the sample in the container is then compared against the color chart to determine the pH value of the soil.
A quick way to find out the pH of an area is to look to see if there are any house hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) already growing in the area.
If so, observe the color of its flowers.
A soil pH of 6 or below will produce blue flowers while a soil pH of 6.8 or higher will produce pink flowers.
Just some information from nature.
How to Make Soil More Alkaline (Increase pH)
If your soil is acidic or slightly acidic you can take steps to make it more alkaline to accommodate the plants, you want to put there.
You can make your soil more alkaline (increase its pH value) by adding a form of lime.
Lime is a compound of calcium or calcium and magnesium.
It is usually applied in the form of ground agricultural limestone, burnt lime or hydrated lime (slaked lime).
The smaller the limestone particles then the quicker your soil will become more alkaline.
For this reason, hydrated lime will offer the quickest performance because it is slightly soluble in water so it can permeate the soil quicker and reduce acidity faster.
Increasing the pH of your soil is not an overnight process and it is best to allow 2-3 months to allow the lime to neutralize the acidity of the soil acidity.
How to Make Soil More Acidic (Decrease pH)
Some ornamental plants and fruit plants like blueberries require acidic soil.
To make your soil more acidic (decrease its pH value) you can use either aluminum sulphate or sulphur.
Aluminum sulphate is the quickest acting as it will increase the acidity as soon as it dissolves into the soil.
The downsides are though that its effects can be short term, and it is possible to over-apply it.
The more recommended but slower way to increase your soil pH is to use Sulphur.
Sulphur converts to sulphuric acid with the help of bacteria in the soil, but this takes time depending on factors like the presence of bacteria, the texture of the soil and moisture levels.
This could take months if conditions are not ideal.
Here is to happy and fruitful gardening!!!