Why Get a pH Meter for Soil Testing?
Growing a garden full of plants and flowers is a joy.�You take care of them, watch over them and get to see them bloom into their natural beauty.
Sometimes though, growing things can be difficult. There could be several reasons. But one of the first things to check should be the acidity or alkalinity of your garden by using a pH meter for soil.
Why Test Your Soil pH?
The health of your plants is greatly dependent on the pH balance of the soil in which they are planted. It is true that most plants prefer a neutral pH (which is around 7). But others, such as strawberries, thrive better in slightly more acidic soil. Carefully monitoring the pH of the soil is important because:-
- the pH level affects the availability of nutrients to your plants
- certain plant diseases thrive at different pH levels
- it can help you determine what to plant in your garden, and
- tell you whether or not you need to adjust the pH of your garden to grow what you want
Most pH meters for soil are easy to read and understand. But before buying make sure you understand the different types of soil pH meter.
What Can You Do If Soil pH Is Not What You Want?
There are a few easy fixes that a gardener of any experience can do.�If you find that you soil is too acidic, you can add lime to your soil to increase the pH. If you find that your soil is too alkaline, compost of manure can be used to bring the pH in line.
It should be noted that changing the acidity or alkalinity of your soil is a process that takes time. It is advisable to test and align the pH of your soil either in the fall or early spring.
Though it may seem like such a silly thing, you may find that just by simply testing your garden with a pH meter for soil, and adjusting it accordingly, that your flower blooms become bigger and more vibrant and that the fruits of your garden also become bigger and more robust. Happy gardening!
You can find mre information here about Lowering Soil pH and Raising Soil pH. Here is also some more detail about Soil pH Tests.