Growing Green by Measuring Soil pH

With green as the color of the day, it prompts the question: how can you make your garden flourish? Perhaps measuring soil pH will provide the answer. The pH of soil indicates more than its alkalinity or acidity; it signals the availability of nutrients, the soil life, and the type of plants that will thrive.

Typically, the range of soil pH varies from 4.0 to 8.0; the range of soil pH for the optimal availability of plant nutrients is 6.0 to 7.0. Soil’s ability to provide nutrition to the plant depends on:

• Essential elements in the soil—Available nutrients depend on the elemental nature of the soil and its organic material content. Soil nutrients can be complex insoluble compounds (organic materials) and simple soluble forms.
• Nutrient release to plants—Simple elements in the soil are available for plant uptake. Complex forms (organic materials) must be broken down through decomposition to simpler, more available forms to benefit plants.
• soil pH solution—pH directly affects the availability of essential nutrients. For example, though iron, manganese, and zinc become less available as the pH rises above 6.5, molybdenum and phosphorus become more available. When the soil is acidic, minerals such as zinc, aluminum, manganese, copper, and cobalt become more soluble for plants’ uptake. Yet, an excess of these ions can be toxic to plants. Alkaline soil contains a higher quantity of bicarbonate ions, which interferes with the normal uptake of other ions, harming plant growth.

Soil bacteria that assist in the decomposition of organic material thrive at a pH of 6.3 to 6.8. Fungi and mold prefer a more acidic soil, making the soil more prone to souring and putrification. Test soil pH to determine how to treat it.

See ph meters and water quality products to measure your soil.