Proper Soil pH Keeps Your Plants From StarvingSoil pH is a measure of whether you have acidic soil or suffer from alkalinity. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Less than 7 is acid and more is alkaline. Why is that important to your gardening? There are three main reasons:
Most vegetables and fruits thrive in a slightly acid condition of 6.5, though they do reasonably well in any medium with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. A few, such as brassicas, prefer it slightly more alkaline (7.0-7.5). Potatoes, strawberries and blueberries like it a little more acidic (5.0-5.5). Let me explain why. Gnomes love soup, so I’ll give you a soup example. Say I place a delicious and nutritious soup in front of you, full of all the healthy things your body needs. But, it is scalding hot. You won’t be able to eat it. Similarly, plants can't take in nutrients if the soil is too acid or too alkaline. Nutrient Availability Extremes in pH levels will dramatically decrease the availability of some nutrients and may cause a toxic buildup of other nutrients. Your garden may be full of all the nutrients your plants need. But because of chemical reactions in the soil, some of those nutrients are unavailable or locked up if the soil pH is outside the range needed for uptake by your plants. Highly acid soils make aluminum and iron available at toxic levels to many plants, while phosphorus and most micronutrients become less available in alkaline conditions. Adjusting your soil to the optimum pH level can eliminate these problems. Organisms and Disease Bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other soil life, as well as diseases have a pH level that suits them best. They multiply more rapidly in their optimal range. Outside that range they grow slowly and even go dormant. Some of these are beneficial while others are harmful to particular plants. Potatoes actually thrive in a wide range, but so does potato scab, so potatoes are best grown in a pH of below 6.0 to thwart the disease. Brassicas (the cabbage and mustard families) do best at 7.0 to avoid clubroot, a disease that is common at lower levels. The bottom line – it is cheaper to get a soil test and adjust the pH level in your garden. Optimum levels will improve your garden, require less fertilizer and prevent losses from deficiency or disease. Adjusting Your Soil pHStart with a soil test in any new garden, so that you will know the soil pH of your native soil. In areas of heavy rain or excessive irrigation, leaching will probably make the soil more acidic. In dryer areas, it is more likely to be alkaline. But it will also be greatly influenced by the mineral elements that make up your dirt, so test.To raise the pH of acid soil, garden lime is the universal solution. For more about how and how much read the liming article . To lower an alkaline soil, apply sulfur in such forms as gypsum or aluminum sulfate . Again, visit those pages for the how and how much. Start with a soil test, then adjust your soil pH for a better garden yield. Happy gardening, Geefrank
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