Are you frustrated to find that your neighbors work less on their gardens and yet have a thriving and healthy garden? The process is extremely simple where one needs to consider the soil test and determine the PH level. With the simple soil test one need not work too much on the garden. To have healthy and productive plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables, you need to determine the PH level of the soil. If the PH level of the garden soil is not balanced, you may not have a thriving garden. Soil testing is important but a lot of garden owners do ignore it. In the realm of organic gardening, pH level stands for the soil alkalinity and soil acidity. All the plants growing in your yard have some ideal pH level to thrive upon. However, this level varies from plant to plant. If the garden soil does not have the ideal pH level, the nutrients needed by the plants can get locked up. So, the root system will not be able to absorb the nutrients from the soil.
The three terms used to describe the PH of the soil
Some of the terms that are used to describe the pH level of the soil include sweet, sour, bitter. When the pH level of the soil has a mid range and it is average, the soil is said to be sweet. This is actually ideal for the soil. If the soil is acidic in nature, it is said to be sour. In case of acidic soil, the PH level is low. In the bitter soil, the PH level is said to be very high. Only some plants can thrive when the soil is sour. The scale of the PH level runs from 0-14 where ‘0’ refers to sour or low. ‘14’ is the bitter range and ‘7’ is considered to be sweet. The garden soil is said to be ideal for the growth of plants when it has the mid range. The range of 14 is thought to be high or bitter. When the garden soil is in mid range, it is best for the growth of plants and for bacterial growth. In fact, that is the ideal condition for the decomposition of natural and organic matter.
What happens when the ph level is ideal?
So, if the PH level is in mid range, it is considered ideal for bacterial growth. There is better decomposition of organic matter. The very process of bacterial decomposition releases nutrients or minerals so that the plants can absorb. On the other hand, when the PH level is at its mid-range, there is the growth of soil microorganisms to convert free nitrogen from the air into something that plants may benefit. So, if you do not test the PH level of your garden soil and let it move out of balance, the natural processes will be impacted severely.
When you plant any seed in the pot, do not forget to test the PH level of the soil. In organic gardening, the PH level of the soil cannot be ignored.
