What pH is my soil? Why do I need to know? How do I find out?
Choosing the right plant for your soil type will determine if it thrives or fails.
In simple terms, there are 3 types of soil. Acidic, neutral and alkaline.
PH of 7 is neutral
PH of above 7 to 8.5 is alkaline, these tend to be lime rich or chalky soils
PH below 7 is acidic, also known as ericaceous
True ericaceous plants will only grow in acidic soil. They include Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellia and Erica.
Alkaline soils tend to be chalky, very free draining and of poor quality but there are plants that love these conditions too. They include Agapanthus, S.Japonica, Lavender, Clematis, Aster, Viola.
So how do I find out what I have?
Simple home test kits are the easiest and most accurate way to find out and they are inexpensive. Interestingly the pH can vary around your garden so many test kits come with multiple tests and you should take readings from a variety of spots.
Want to have a go at home?
How make your own pH test.
You will need
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At least two clean jars or bowls
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Trowel or similar
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Household Vinegar - Apple cider/ distilled white
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Baking Soda
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Distilled Water
1)Take a soil sample
Take a sample of the soil you want to test and put it inside two separate containers. You may use any container as long as it can hold the soil and liquid.
2)Vinegar
Pour vinegar inside one container. Watch out for fizzing. You might not see the fizzing so put your ear to the container and listen for fizzing.
If there is fizzing, the vinegar is reacting with the base of the soil. So your soil is alkaline.
3) No fizz?
Take another container and put in another soil sample. This time add water and stir. Now add baking soda to the watery soil. Fizzing? If yes then your soil is acidic.
4) Still no fizz?
If neither fizzes then you have neutral soil.