If you’re a pro gardener or just an avid plant lover, then you know how important it is to monitor the acidic levels of your soil.
The reason for this is quite simple: plants differ from each other when it comes to their needs. Some like overly acidic soil, while others thrive in an alkaline one.
If the soil isn’t to their liking, they’ll start to show signs of distress, like yellowing veins and brown spots on leaves.
What Is the pH Level of Soil?
Essentially, a soil’s pH level is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the ground, which tells us how acidic or alkaline (basic) it is.
The more hydrogen ions there are, the lower the pH level is. This means it’s more acidic, and the opposite is true when there are fewer hydrogen ions.
It’s measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Anything under a pH of 7 is considered acidic, while anything over is alkaline.
It can be slightly confusing to newbie gardeners because it’s a “reverse” scale. So, to help clarify it, acidic soil has a low pH and a high hydrogen ion concentration.
Contrastingly, high pH levels mean the soil has a low hydrogen ion concentration and is alkaline.
Why Is It Important to Measure the pH Level of Soil?
Knowing the pH levels of your plant’s soil is essential for various reasons. Here are some of the most prominent ones:
- Prevents Plant Diseases
Though they may look small and fragile, plants have a good immune system that helps them fight off many pathogens. However, if the pH levels are highly acidic or fluctuate consistently, it can cause undue stress to the plants.
As a result, they’ll end up being far less resistant to attack by pathogens, hence, more susceptible to diseases.
- Narrows Down What Fertilizers to Use
Many gardeners use fertilizers to help provide valuable nutrients, replace any nutrients removed when the crop is harvested, and balance the soil.
However, a clever gardener will never use fertilizers without first knowing what the soil pH levels are. This is because certain types of fertilizers affect pH levels.
Hence, to help your garden flourish and bloom, you’ll need to check the pH levels first.
- Affects the Availability of Nutrients
Plants need nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, sulfur, and iron to grow healthy and strong. Yet, these nutrients don’t coexist equally within the same pH levels.
For instance, potassium, sulfur, and phosphorus are abundant in neutral soil. If you go to either extreme—alkalinity or acidity—they’ll start to dwindle.
Elements like calcium and magnesium love neutral and alkaline soil, while iron and manganese lean more towards neutrality and acidity.
Therefore, keeping your eye on the pH level will help you determine what’s missing from your plants’ diet.
- Helps You Determine What to Grow
Just as certain nutrients function better at specific pH levels, so do plants. For example, blueberries and camellias thrive in acidic soils, while lavender and California lilacs prefer more alkaline conditions.
Hence, you can’t just plant anything in your garden. However, a simple pH reading can save you a lot of effort and help you determine what’s right for your land.
What Influences the pH Level of Soil?
Several factors can affect your soil’s pH levels, making it acidic or alkaline. Unfortunately, this can have a significant impact on your garden.
So, here are some of the primary ones to look out for:
- Climate
Climate can affect your land’s pH levels in more than one way. First, when it comes to temperature, soils existing in harsh winter temperatures, like 30°F or less, have higher pH levels than soils in warmer climates.
As for other aspects like natural elements, heavy rains can lead to an intensely acidic land. This is because of a natural process called leaching, in which the water washes away elements from the soil, like nitrogen and calcium, and leaves behind acidic components, like manganese and hydrogen. This can lead to a higher acidity level in the land and lower nutrient levels.
- Mineral Content
Do you know the origin story of your garden’s soil? It didn’t just show up one day, for sure!
Soil is the result of rocks going through erosion and weathering for many—maybe hundred and millions—years. Essentially, these rocks are described as the soil’s “parent material.”
So, the mineral inside them dictates what kind of soil you’ll have to deal with. For instance, soils formed from limestone or granite are less acidic than soils formed from shale or sandstone.
- Chemical Content
Another thing that could affect your land’s pH levels is what kind of fertilizers or additions you place in it.
For instance, some fertilizer contains nitrogen which can greatly affect soil pH by increasing its levels. Similarly, fertilizers that use phosphorus in their content can increase pH levels, but less than nitrogen-based ones.
So, it’s best to watch out for what kind of fertilizer you use, as it could alter your garden’s chemical balance.
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When to Test the pH of Your Soil?
One of the best times to test your soil pH is during every fall. This gives you ample time to see what your garden needs and correct the pH levels if anything is amiss before the spring bloom.
Also, If you’re planning something new in your garden, ensuring you know the pH level of your soil can save you a lot of money and effort in the long run. So, make sure to take a look at the pH levels before starting any new projects.
You can also test the ground if you feel your flowers and plants aren’t growing as they should be or showing signs of distress.
Related read: Learn how to test soil pH
What Types of Plants Grow in Acidic Soil?
The list of plants that love acidic soil is almost never-ending! However, we’ve done our best to round up the most common ones for you.
- Flowers:
- Bleeding heart
- Camellia
- Foxglove
- Japanese iris
- Trees:
- Beech
- Chamaecyparis conifers
- Japanese maples
- Pin oak
- Shrubs:
- Gardenia
- Rhododendron
- Pieris
- Fothergilla
If you love any of the previous plants, you’ll want to ensure that the soil is acidic enough to deliver all the proper nutrients to them.
You can do this by adding sulfur, sphagnum peat Moss, or ammonium sulfate.
What Types of Plants Require Higher pH Levels?
Numerous types of plants thrive in alkaline soil with high pH levels. To help you choose, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular ones.
- Flowers
- Caryopteris
- California Poppies
- Crocus
- Viper’s Bugloss
- Trees
- European hornbeam
- Holm Oak
- Yew
- Montezuma Pine
- Shrubs
- Photinia
- Barberry
- Philadelphus
- Deutzia ‘Pride of Rochester’
Of course, maintaining any of these lovely plants means you’ll need to check the soil’s pH constantly to ensure it’s basic.
If it drops below 6.5, you can get it back up by using dolomite lime, wood ashes, organic manure, or compost.
What Happens When Acidic Level Declines in Soil?
Sadly for your garden, the acidity levels need to remain balanced for the plants to survive.
So, if they decline or increase beyond their usual range, you’ll find yourself facing a few issues, including:
- Decreased nutrient availability
- Stunted plant growth
- Increased susceptibility to diseases
- Reduced crop quality and quantity
As a result, it’s best always to keep an eye on your soil pH to avoid falling into any of these issues.
To Sum Up
So, do you now know how to change the acidic level of soil? Hopefully, you do!
As we mentioned, pH levels are one of the cornerstones of good soil health. They can control how well your plants grow, how healthy they are, and even their ability to fight off diseases.
So, if you want to ensure that your crop is healthy and vibrant, it’s essential to monitor the pH levels in your soil constantly.