Is Soil Ph In Hardwoods Acidic Or Alkaline

The university of california advises that the accuracy of soil ph readings is plus or minus 0 5 ph units.

Is soil ph in hardwoods acidic or alkaline.

The ph is a logarithmic scale that goes from 0 to 14 with 0 being most acidic 7 being neutral and 14 being most alkaline. In other words your 7 5 soil may be anywhere between 7 0 and 8 0. Because it s a logarithmic scale each jump is a ten fold increase so a soil with a ph of 5 is 10 times more acidic than. Before delving into what causes soils to become acid or alkaline and the steps to take to treat and correct soil ph we must first establish what is considered an optimal ph for crop production.

Garden plants typically grow best in neutral or slightly acid soil ph 7 or slightly below. See illustration at left. A soil with a ph number below 7 is acid while one with a ph above 7 is alkaline. For us lay people it s enough to know that soil ph is a measure of how acidic or alkaline our soil is.

The ph scale indicates acidity or alkalinity. Hundred times as acidic as a ph of 7. Soil ph is a key factor in farmland as it controls availability of nutrients microbial activity and crop productivity. Soils with a ph level that is higher than 7 are said to be alkaline such soils are suitable for growing plants that thrive in a sweet soil as opposed to a sour or acid soil if soil ph needs to be raised meaning the ground is not alkaline enough apply garden lime if on the other hand your soil has too much alkalinity you can lower the ph by applying a fertilizer that has sulfur.

What happens when soil ph is too high.