Soil pH varies from area to area widely. Some areas have very acidic soil or low pH (usually represented as a value of under 7 on tests), and some areas have alkaline or high pH soils (above 7). Acid soils are known as “sour” soils, and alkaline soils are known as “sweet” soils. Plants generally do best in soils that’s a balance between the two, or neutral pH soil (around a value of 7). However, some plants prefer alkaline soil and some prefer acidic soil. Depending on the general quality of your soil or if you have certain types of plants you want to grow with specific needs, you may need to correct the pH of your soil. Here are some basic tips on how to correct soil pH.
Testing your soil to know where you soil generally lies on the pH scale is a good start. You can get inexpensive kits at any garden center to test. We have a simple to use soil pH meter if you want to give it a go. If you have soil that’s alkaline and you want to lower the pH, ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate are the two recommended soil amendments that will help make your soil more acidic. To raise the pH of your soil, lime, or ground limestone, is recommended.
Products for adjusting soil pH differ and it’s best to stick with the recommended application directions usually available on the bag of the product.
More natural methods of correcting soil pH to a more generally plant-friendly level involve simply adding plenty of well-rotted manures and compost to the soil that you plan to grow in- and top dress with plenty of mulches that break down into the soil easily in the spring and fall around landscape ornamentals and in production beds. If your soil remains very acidic and compost isn’t helping, try adding wood ash or oyster shell.
Raised bed gardening is also another way to ensure good soil pH without a lot of work. Simply fill containers and raised beds with plenty of rotted compost and potting soil and add more at the end of each season after growing is done.
PH adjustment and correction is very important for a lot of reasons. Most notably, the pH of soil determines what nutrients plants can use and how fast they can use them. Often, there are some nutrients that become bound in soils that aren’t well balanced and plants can’t take up the nutrients they need to grow well. For example, most vegetable crops need slightly more acid soil to grow well so that they have access to the nutrients they need to quickly produce large amounts of fruit.
Sometimes the reason for adjusting pH of soil may simply be a cosmetic preference, specifically when it comes to the bloom of hydrangeas. Some hydrangeas bloom pink in acid soil, and the same type of hydrangea will bloom blue in alkaline soil. Sometimes, crafty gardeners have gotten both colors, even purple, by playing with the pH of the soil that their hydrangeas grow in. There are specific products sold that you can apply to the soil of your hydrangea if you wish to try- commonly found in garden center stores.
Soil pH is important but not difficult to correct. We hope this article helps you understand the basics better so you can grow better plants!
Chickens have been domesticated for thousands of years, are kept on almost every continent around the world, and are a commodity and a mainstay of human civilization. Ducks are in a way as well, especially in certain areas- but their popularity is small in comparison. Why is that? Why do people seem to prefer chickens over ducks? Why do chickens get so much attention and ducks happen to be sort of a sideline? As a keeper of both, I ask myself this a lot- and for good reason. Here’s why.
I don’t know how many of these bubbles I have been through but greed is always at the heart. It doesn’t seem to matter if is make millions growing organic certified food or plant lemon myrtle plantations people get sucked into the greed and easy lifestyles touted as saviors. A honest business grows or declines with the market based on supply and demand. Simple economics 101 is if supply is high and demand in low the price will be low. Most of these niche systems do initially have low supply have high demand so prices are extremely high but the markets are so small that even modest increases in supply means the price drops considerable.
Perennial herbs are wonderful additions to the garden. They’re easy to grow and cultivate, beautiful, and offer many uses- uses such as flavoring food, for making teas, making natural medicines, for cleaning and freshening, and even decorating. Perennial herbs offer beauty and function. Here are our 5 easiest perennial herbs to grow that deserve a spot in your garden or landscape.
Having a beautiful garden can seem complicated and expensive but if you follow these steps, you will see that is something you can do with little money. Make the project design and creation of your garden. Divide the project into phases of your garden for you to go by gradually creating the garden of your dreams. Consider consulting a landscaper and get their opinion, although we can give you some tips on how to make a garden with little money.
With our busy lives and forever demanding work load many of us are living an unhealthy lifestyle. There is plenty of media coverage around the habits and the list of first world health problems seems to be increasing. Unhealthy eating habits and accumulation of poisons and toxins in the body including heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury are a concern. Most of the population is already aware of their unhealthy lifestyle and sincerely desires to do something about it. Many pharmaceutical companies have mushroomed sensing big business opportunities around this fear. They know people are aware about their unhealthy life style and are desperate to do something about it. However the demanding work pressure and busy lifestyle hardly offers them any breathing space to plan out a healthy day and have healthy meals three times a day. Left without any option to make even a slightest change in their lifestyle people are increasingly turning to Miracle Medicines and therapies that will rescue them of this situation without requiring them to make any change in their present unhealthy lifestyle. Surprisingly majority of the miracle medicines and such therapies don’t work, yet they are out in the market because big profits can be made. One such miracle therapy is the ‘Detox Foot Pads’.