Soil pH is a hot topic among gardeners and one worth taking a look at. People talk about how \u2018acidic\u2019 or how \u2018alkanine\u2019 their soil is but they don\u2019t always consider other factors that are essential to proper soil management.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a basic pH primer.<\/p>\n

Like the temperature of the human body, pH is an important measurement of soil health. It affects the number and activity of beneficial soil microorganisms, and impacts the availability of essential nutrients.<\/p>\n

The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 with 7 considered as \u2018neutral.\u2019 Basically, pH measures the amount of hydrogen in the soil compared to other nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium and aluminum. pH is an inverse function, which means:<\/p>\n

\n
• More hydrogen (and less of other nutrients) = a lower pH number (i.e., the more \u2018acidic\u2019 the soil)<\/li>\n
• Less hydrogen (and more of other nutrients) = a higher pH number (i.e., the more \u2018alkaline\u2019 the soil)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Soil pH typically ranges from 4 to 9, but widely accepted garden wisdom says that anything between 6 and 7 is best for growing strong and healthy plants. Although this is generally true, pH balance is just part of the equation. Proper soil management requires a bit more investigative work on the gardener\u2019s part.<\/p>\n

  For example, many well-meaning gardeners apply dolomite lime to their soil every year to reduce acidity and raise pH levels. In doing so, they are also adding calcium and magnesium which is present in lime. Do plants need these nutrients? In what ratios? The pH value on its own does not provide any insight.<\/p>\n

  Let\u2019s say you are trying to grow rhododendrons, azaleas or blueberries\u2014all considered \u2018acid-loving\u2019 plants. Garden sites advise adding sphagnum peat or chemical fertilizers to make the soil more acidic. But what if your plants are missing essential nutrients or trace minerals? Again, the pH value on its own doesn\u2019t provide enough information.<\/p>\n

  A better bet is a comprehensive soil test. By sending a soil sample to a lab, you not only get a pH value but also a detailed analysis of soil nutrients (and deficiencies). For ongoing soil management, use a high quality compost mixed with all-natural rock dust like Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster<\/strong> to give plants the essential minerals and trace elements that they need while buffering both high and low pH levels.<\/p>\n

  To assess your soil for even more qualities, use a DIY system called the \u201cWillamette Valley Soil Quality Guide<\/a>\u201d which was developed by a team of farmers and soil scientists in Oregon. The methods are simple and the only supplies you need are common household items. More details at Organic Gardening<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Soil pH is a hot topic among gardeners and one worth taking a look at. People talk about how \u2018acidic\u2019 or how \u2018alkanine\u2019 their soil is but they don\u2019t always consider other factors that are essential to proper soil management. Let\u2019s start with a basic pH primer. Like the temperature of the human body, pH… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[19,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gardening-tips","category-soil-amendment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/millenium_farms1.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YalT-ac","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2059,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632\/revisions\/2059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cascademinerals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}