[vetsinag] Farm Tip Tuesday: A Soil pH Primer

[Robyn Metzger]

In a recent episode of ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture<https://attra.ncat.org/category/podcasts/>’s podcast, Armed to Farm Program Director Margo Hale talked with Agriculture Specialist Nina Prater about soil pH. Following are some highlights and tips from their conversation.
What is soil pH?
Soil pH is a measurement of how acidic or alkaline your soil is. It’s measured on a scale of 1-10; a low pH means your soil is acidic and a high pH means your soil is alkaline. Most soils fall in the range of 5-8 naturally. A pH of 7 is neutral. Most crops need a soil pH in the 6-7 range.
Why is pH so important?
The pH affects the availability of nutrients in the soil to the plants. When your soil has a low pH, many essential nutrients in the soil are not available to the plant. The same is true when the pH is high. Having a pH in the target range of 6-7 “unlocks” those nutrients so your plants can use them. It also benefits the micro-organisms in the soil.
While plants have the ability to adjust the pH of the soil right around their roots in order to make the needed nutrients available, that process take energy. You don’t want your plants expending energy adjusting soil pH when they could be using that energy to grow and produce crops.
How do you find out your soil’s pH?
To determine soil pH, take a soil sample and get it tested at a lab. Your local Cooperative Extension office will likely offer soil testing. You can also find soil testing labs at https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/soil_testing/. Watch Nina’s video Soil Sampling: A Management Strategy<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6sHIoUZXWw> for a demonstration of how to correctly take a soil sample.
Although there are home soil pH kits available for purchase, Nina doesn’t recommend these as they are not as accurate as a test done at a lab.
Soil pH can change over time and at different times of the year. Try to take samples at around the same time every year, and under generally the same weather conditions, so you can compare results from year to year.
More information on soil pH
For more on soil pH—including how to raise or lower your soil’s pH, why increasing your soil’s organic matter is important to pH, and more—listen to Nina and Margo’s podcast episode Soil Sessions: Understanding Soil pH<https://attra.ncat.org/episode-164-soil-sessions-understanding-soil-ph/>. Margo and Nina have two other Soil Sessions episodes as well: Interpreting a Soil Test<https://attra.ncat.org/soil-sessions-interpreting-a-soil-test-podcast/> and Soil Health and the Five Principles of Soil Health<https://attra.ncat.org/soil-sessions-soil-health-and-the-five-soil-health-principles-podcast/>.
Please don't hesitate to contact Margo, Nina, or one of our other agriculture specialists if you have questions. You can email askanag at ncat.org or call 800-346-9140.


With best regards,
Robyn



Robyn Metzger

Program Specialist/Armed to Farm Coordinator

National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)

www.ncat.org/armedtofarm<http://www.ncat.org/armedtofarm>

www.attra.ncat.org<http://www.attra.ncat.org>

479-442-9824
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