frugal pH soil testing

[forestdale]

Test your soil for acidity or alkalinity frugally.

This is from:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/gar...a/soiltest.htm

It's easy to test soil acidity without the pricey kits sold for that. Although a home made test won't be as specific, you don't really need such specific information for a normal garden. If plants were that picky, nothing would ever grow anyway! To do this test frugally, you'll need a couple of glass jars, a tablespoon, some vinegar and some baking soda. Scoop up a couple of tablespoonfuls of soil from the surface of your garden, then dig two or three inches deep and scoop another couple of tablespoonsful. Mix this soil thoroughly with one tablespoon of water, then put two tablespoons of soil in the first glass jar. In a separate container, mix a tablespoon of baking soda with two tablespoons of water. Pour this mixture into the soil and watch closely. If the soil bubbles freely or fizzes, it's acidic.

If there is extreme fizzing, it could cause a problem with growing some plants.

If it didn't bubble at all, you might have alkaline soil. Put the remaining soil in the next jar and pour a tablespoon of white vinegar into it. In this test, if it fizzes that means the soil is more alkaline than acidic and could cause problems. There are many soil amendments, both natural and not, but use them sparingly. Just because a little is good doesn't mean a lot is better. It's better to err on the frugal side when adding to the soil and most plants will be happy unless there are extreme problems with the soil. Check with your local agriculture extension agent for advice particular to your area or type of soil.







 

[QuilterMom]

[Kimberlina]

Thanks so much for poasting this- it makes so much sense and I never would have thought of anything like this.

[TanyaMT]

Very cool. Wish I had seen this before I bought a kit, but at least it was only $8 at the garden center for a reusable one. Not too bad but not free like this one!