Maintaining a pH level within the optimal range is crucial for your plants’ health and vigor. The soil pH value measures the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Soil pH affects nutrient availability. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with a neutral value of 7. Any numbers below 7 indicate acidity, while numbers above 7 indicate alkalinity.
I have been teaching the importance of understanding your soil, especially its pH, for decades. If you want your plant(s) to grow and thrive, it all starts with two things:
- Choosing the right plant for the location
- Understanding your soil
Often overlooked, soil pH has as much of an effect on plant health as any disease, insect, drought, or drainage issue.
We sell plants that thrive best in different soil pH ranges. For a quick example, azaleas, rhododendrons, boxwoods, hollies, and blueberries thrive best in acidic soil. If you are growing acid-loving plants, then you do not want to lime around them—unless your soil pH is so low that it is locking up vital nutrients for the plants. In contrast, vegetables and ornamental grasses thrive best in a pH range near neutral.
When it comes to some varieties of hydrangeas—did you know that the pH level will control the color of the actual bloom? With a pH near 6.0 you will have blue flowers whereas with a pH near neutral or above you will have pink flowers.
GET YOUR SOIL TESTED
We can do FREE pH testing for you. Just bring us soil and you will have your pH reading in a minute.
In addition to testing pH, I am a strong advocate for knowing your soil completely by having a complete soil analysis done on your landscape or gardens. We can’t do that for you because it takes a laboratory to do this level of testing. We have soil tests here to give you. Just follow the simple instructions and mail off the box of dirt to Virginia Tech. The cost is only $10. With this test you will know everything needed with your soil. I equate this test to us having blood work done with our annual medical exam. This exam tells us most everything as to how our body is working. Without this test then it is all a guessing game.
Off on a side tangent—you may be wondering why the “p” is lower case and the “H” is capitalized. pH is an abbreviation for “power of hydrogen” where the “p” is short for the German word for power, potenz and the “H” is the element symbol for hydrogen.
Fall will be here before we know it. Being mid-July is a great time to get ready to do fall gardening and planting by having your soil tested. This way if the test indicates some needs then you have the rest of summer to do the corrections. You do want your plants to thrive and be happy. Right?
PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS !!!!!!!!!!!