How to Measure Soil Acidity

Most plants grow properly if the pH of soil is between 6.5 and 7.2. Soil acidity: concept ph The pH (or "potential hydrogen") measures the acidity or alkalinity of your soil if the pH is less than 7, the soil is acid; if it exceeds 7, the alkaline earth is, while a pH of 7.0 defines a neutral soil. However, some plants need an acidic soil to grow frankly correctly. This is for example the case of heather, azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, camellias, magnolias, etc. Measuring the pH of the soil? Soil Acidity

Assessment in the native flora The observation of the natural flora provides a pretty good indication of the pH of a soil: Some plants report a field acid: gorse, heather, horsetail, buttercup, sorrel, sorrel, etc. Other plants reported limestone terrain, so alkaline: chicory, clover, marigold, etc. Analysis kits For a more accurate result, garden centers offer kits allow you to measure yourself very easily the pH of your soil. The use is very simple: just pour a liquid reagent on a soil sample and compare the resulting color with that of a reference color chart provided. Correct soil acidity in his garden It is always difficult to try to correct the soil pH and, in general, adapt crops to the ground than the reverse. However, it is possible to correct an inappropriate pH providing floor amendments or alkalizing or acidifying fertilizer. Correct too acidic soil Amendments to allow lime alkalizing pH too acidic. In use, however with moderation: insufficient liming is preferable to excessive liming, which would cause a too rapid change of the bio-physical and chemical processes of the earth.

Comments

How to Build a Straw Bale Garden -- OFF GRID ORGANIC FARM

Straw bale gardening is one of many options for dealing with poor soil. How do you know that you have poor soil? To begin, have your soil tested by your local Cooperative Extension Office. These tests can determine the pH level of your soil, assess the fertility and health of the microorganism colonies living in the soil, and provide you with useful information on which organic amendments to add. In order to make the straw bales a good habitat for garden vegetables, you’ll need to condition each bale, which turns it into a growing medium. This is the most time-intensive part of the project, but don’t worry! Nature does most of the work. Days 1 to 3: Once your straw bales are in place, take the garden hose and water each bale thoroughly. Soak it with water. You need to do this once a day for three days to start the conditioning process. The bales begin to decompose. As the microorganisms start to work, the inside of the bale heats up. Days 4 to 6: On days 4, 5 and 6, you will nee...

Where to start in a new garden, in a spirit of permaculture?

By the compost. Then the potatoes, laid on the ground and covered with straw. It's a good way to aerate the land and prepare it for crops. Then you can opt for the buttes in lasagna, but they seem more suited to drought climates. In my case I chose vegetable squares. The essential rules of permaculture are to never leave the soil bare (mulching), not to return it in depth (you can air it with a spade or a special tool called grelinette) and alternate crops. You can also add flowers to your garden, it's pretty and it attracts pollinators. Some are even more useful like marigolds, borage or marigolds. Once you are started, you can learn about plants that use "self-help" mechanisms to associate them.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus Imagine a plant which can provide you with several year-round foods, as well as a sweetener, an ice cream flavoring, a red dye, a hair conditioner, flour, and still be a drought tolerant burglar fence. This versatile plant is the prickly pear cactus, providing food, medicine, dye, and landscaping. It is not isolated to remote Arizona deserts, but is found throughout the United States. Though it is most common in the Southwest, it is found on the plains as far east as Nebraska, and one species grows along the Atlantic Coast. Throughout the city of Los Angeles, large and small patches of prickly pear are common on hillsides and vacant lots. In fact, it is so common that it's often just regarded as a "weed." Though it is correct that cacti are about 90% water, it is a myth that you can simply insert a spigot into a cactus and then fill your canteen. ...

OFFGRID ORGANIC FARM

Search This Blog