Adjusting the PH Levels of Your Soil

I'll be writing about how you can raise or lower the pH level of your soil. Maintaining the correct pH level in your soil is essential because certain plants will only absorb nutrients if the soil is at the desired pH level for those plants. For example, certain plants like acidic soils such as basil, potatoes, and blueberries, while others like alkaline soils such as lavender, sweet potatoes, and asparagus.

Before we get started, you first must know the current pH level of your soil. You can use a soil moisture meter that also has a pH level setting to know the pH level of your soil. That will give you a rough estimate. If you want to know the exact pH level of your soil, you can use soil testing kits to get an accurate reading. Alternatively, you can take a sample of your soil in a quart bag and send it to a soil lab in your area to get a pH level analysis of your soil.

Now let's get back to adjusting the pH level of your soil. There are multiple methods you can use and multiple input materials you can use to raise or lower the pH level of your soil.

Let's first cover lowering the pH level of your soil. One material you can use is pine needles. Pine needles are a great source to lower the pH level of your soil. You can also use wood chips to mulch around your plants to retain moisture. However, wood chips are also an excellent source to lower the pH level of your soil. By incorporating wood chips into the ground and mixing them into your soil, the chips will decompose over time, lowering the pH level of your soil. You can get wood chips from local arborists for free.

Please note that pine needles and wood chips can lock up the nitrogen in your soil. Therefore, you shouldn't add wood chips into your soil and plant right away. You should add wood chips into your soil at least three to six months before planting so the wood chips have enough time to decompose. Just like compost, wood chips need carbon and nitrogen to decompose. Similarly, wood chips provide carbon, and you should look for the source of nitrogen in your soil to decompose the carbon. The microorganisms use the carbon and nitrogen in the decomposition process. You should make sure the wood chips are already decomposing before planting. You should also add your fertilizer when you plant, not when you spread wood chips or when you add wood chips into your ground. All the nitrogen from your fertilizer will be used up to decompose wood chips rather than providing nutrients to your plants.

To lower the pH level of your soil, you can also use sulfur. Tiger 90 sulfur is approved for organic gardening and is OMRI listed. To lower the pH level of your soil, you first must know the current pH level of your soil. For sandy soils, in a 100 square foot area, you need one pound of sulfur to lower the pH level by one point. For clay soil, you need three times as much sulfur to lower the pH level by one point. If you want to bring your pH level by two points from 6.5 to 4.5 in clay soil, you'll need 240 grams of sulfur, which is about half a pound in a three-foot by three-foot area. You want to add sulfur at least six months before you plant because sulfur takes time to have a reaction process in the soil to start lowering the pH level of your soil.

You also must know the pH level of your water. If you keep watering the plants or your soil with 7.0 water over time, the soil pH level will rise, and you need to apply something to lower the pH level of your soil as well.

Watch my video for more information on what works best! Happy Gardening!