If you want to do gardening or farming or you are already doing it, then you should know about the pH of your soil. The pH of the soil is a very important factor for the proper growth of plants and crops, which affects the health of almost all types of crops and plants. The pH of the soil helps the plants to uptake the essential nutrients from the soil and maintains the functioning of healthy bacteria in the soil.
The pH of soil is checked in the range of 0 to 14. Similarly, 0 to 7 means that the soil is acidic, 7 means that the soil is neutral and 7 to 14 means that the soil is alkaline. You can also understand this from the example picture shown below.
For most of the plants and crops soil pH between 6 to 7 is considered very good. If the pH of the soil is not correct, then the plants will not be able to uptake the required nutrients from the soil through their roots. No matter how good and expensive fertilizers you use, the growth of the plants will be poor. Therefore, for gardening and farming, it is very important to understand the pH of the soil and maintain it as per the requirements of your plants.
Here, we are going to tell you some very easy methods, by following which you can estimate the pH of your soil at your home very easily. If you read this information properly and understand it well then you will get the answer to the following queries:
1)
How to check soil pH at home
2)
How to check soil pH without using a pH kit
3)
How to check soil pH by using pH meter
4)
How to check soil pH by using Litmus paper strips.
How to check soil pH at home without using a pH kit:
This
method is very easy and through this we can check the pH of soil with the
common materials used in our kitchen. We can understand the pH of our soil by
using the common household items used in our kitchen with the soil and
observing the reaction of the soil with them and there is no need to use any pH
meter or soil pH measuring kit. To measure soil pH without any kit, please
follow the method mentioned below.
Arrange Household items to check soil pH:
First
of all we have to take some very common household items from our kitchen which
are as follows:
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Two small glass bowls or containers
- A small spoon for measuring
- Clean drinking water or distilled water if you have it.
After
arranging all these household items, now we will check whether our soil is
acidic, alkaline or neutral.
How to know if soil is acidic between 0 to 7 value:
First
of all we have to know whether our soil is acidic or not. For this we will
follow the steps given below one by one.
Step-1:
First of all we will take a spoon of whatever garden soil or farm soil is
available with us in a bowl.
Step-2:
After this we will mix it well with clean drinking water or distilled water and
prepare a paste of it.
Step-3:
After this we will take a spoon of white vinegar and mix it in the paste and
from its growing reaction we will estimate the pH of the soil.
If
after adding vinegar fizzing or bubbling starts then it means that our soil is
acidic and its pH is below 7.
If
there is no reaction after adding vinegar, then the pH of our soil is neutral,
its value is around 7.
Understand
the results of soil pH from the observation of reaction in this way:
- If fizzing or bubbling is excessive and lasts for about 20 to 30 seconds, it means that the soil pH is very low and its value is approximately around 0 to 3.
- If fizzing or bubbling is less and ends between 10 to 20 seconds, it means that the soil is less acidic and its pH is approximately between 3 to 6.
- If fizzing is very low and stops within about 10 seconds, it means that the soil is very low acidic and its pH value is between 6 to 7.
How to know if soil is alkaline between 7 to 14 value:
Now we will
know whether our soil is alkaline or not. For this we will follow the steps
given below one by one.
Step-1:
First of all we will take a spoon of whatever garden soil or farm soil is
available with us in a bowl.
Step-2:
After this we will mix it well with clean drinking water or distilled water and
prepare a paste of it.
Step-3:
After this we will take a spoon of baking soda and mix it in the paste and from
its growing reaction we will estimate the pH of the soil.
If after
adding baking soda, fizzing or bubbling starts then it means that our soil is
alkaline and its pH is above 7.
If there is
no reaction after adding baking soda, then the pH of our soil is neutral, its value
is around 7.
Understand
the results of soil pH from the observation of reaction in this way:
- If fizzing or bubbling is excessive and lasts for about 20 to 30 seconds, it means that the soil pH is very high and its value is approximately around 10 to 14.
- If fizzing or bubbling is less and ends between 10 to 20 seconds, it means that the soil is less alkaline and its pH is approximately between 8 to 10.
- If fizzing is very low and stops within about 10 seconds, it means that the soil is very low alkaline and its pH value is between 7 to 8.
If after
using both the methods there is no reaction in the soil then it means that the
pH of the soil is around 7 and it is neutral.
How to check soil pH by using pH meter:
Step-1:
First of all we will take a spoon of whatever garden soil or farm soil is
available with us in a bowl.
Step-2:
After this we will mix it well with clean drinking water or distilled water and
prepare a paste of it.
Step-3:
After this we will take pH meter and dip its measuring tip in this solution for
about 20 to 30 seconds.
By doing
this you will be able to check the actual pH of the soil from the value shown
on the pH meter.
How to check soil pH by using paper strips or litmus paper:
If you have litmus paper strips to check the pH of the soil and you want to check the pH of the soil then you can check the pH of the soil by following the steps given below.
Step-1:
First of all we will take a spoon of whatever garden soil or farm soil is
available with us in a bowl.
Step-2:
After this we will mix it well with clean drinking water or distilled water and
prepare a paste of it.
Step-3:
After this we will take one litmus paper or strips and dip its measuring tip in
this solution for about 20 to 30 seconds.
By doing
this the color of the litmus paper strip will change and you can know the pH
value of the soil by comparing this color with the result checker that comes with
the litmus paper strip.
Conclusion:
If we conclude all these methods then we can use many easy methods to check soil pH at home such as soil pH test by baking soda, soil pH test by using white vinegar, soil pH test by using pH meter and soil pH test by using litmus paper.
By using
baking soda and vinegar we can estimate the soil pH and this is possible
without any kit.
If you want
to know the soil pH value in a very accurate way then you will have to use pH
meter or litmus paper.
All these
methods are very easy and with their help we can check soil pH at home.
I hope you
find this information useful and we have tried our best to cover common queries
related to soil pH such as how to check soil pH at home. If you feel that something is
missing and you have some suggestions, you can write to us in the comment box
and we will try to answer it as soon as possible.
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