Ph testing

[Carol]

Can anyone tell me how I can test the Ph of my soil please? I'm having problems getting things to grow in my garden (we just moved in), and when I asked our local garden centre for advice, he said it could be bad Ph. I have no idea how to test, and didn't want to appear stupid in front of him :o

[Harold78]

It's pretty straight forwards. First, you'll need a few things:-

Litmus Paper - available from most garden stores, and some chemists
A clean, preferably sterile glass
Some sterile (boiled) water, preferably warm
Some soil (from your garden!)



Put a handful of soil in the glass, and fill 3/4 full with water.
Mix around, until the soil is well mixed with the water.
Let the water rest, until the soil has settled to the bottom.
Dip the litmus paper into the water, and take a reading as per the packet instructions

[Creature]

You might want to look at
http://www.esf.edu/PUBPROG/brochure/soilph/soilph.htm
and
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/acidsoil.html

:)

[Carol]

Thanks Harold. I followed your instructions, and my soil is very acidic. Is it Lime I add to lower the acid content of my soil?

[matt]

Agricultural lime (ground limestone or chalk) can be used for acidic soil at a rate of at a rate of about 500 to 1,000 g/m²

[dave o]

you can also use fertilizer with sulphur content. Sulphur, used lightly and regularly over time will also help with lowering PH. Make sure the water you are putting on your lawn is not acidic, otherwise, you'll be continually combatting high PH.
dave