Soil acidity is the reaction of the soil to the interaction of rocks lying in the thickness of the earth. It is of great importance when growing any cultivated plants. To determine the acidity, you can contact the agrochemical laboratory. But not everyone has such an opportunity. How to determine the acidity of the soil yourself? There is a pH scale by which soil reaction can be measured. If its indicator is 4.5, it means that the soil is strongly acidic, from 4.5 to 5.0 - medium acid, 5.5 and more - neutral. You can determine this indicator yourself.
Determination of soil reaction using litmus indicator paper
How to determine the acidity of the soil yourself at home? For these purposes, kits are sold in specialized stores. They include 50 or more strips impregnated with reagents and a scale in a color image. On it, the soil acidity is determined independently. To do this, you need to take land samples from different places of your personal plot, and the depth of their occurrence should also be different. Next, you should put the material in gauze, lower it into distilled water (4-5 parts per 1 part of the soil) and insist for five minutes. Then a litmus strip is taken and lowered into a container of water and soil for a couple of seconds. The pH value will be visible on the color bar.
It can be done differently. Separate part of the earth, pour distilled water into it and stir until gruel is obtained. Insist 15 minutes and mix again. After about five minutes, the water will exfoliate from the ground (it should be transparent). An indicator is placed in it, and the pH reading is taken.
The red color of the strip means that the soil is acidic, orange is moderately acidic, yellow is weakly acidic, greenish is neutral. Having determined the acidity, you will understand, you need to add lime to the soil to neutralize this reaction or not.
Determination of soil acidity independently at home
On his site, each is his own master, and therefore is free to use any means to achieve the desired result. Quite common among gardeners, folk methods for determining the pH of the earth.
- The first way. Cherry or currant leaves, three to four pieces, are placed in a glass container and pour one glass of boiling water. They wait until the water has cooled, and put a small lump of earth in it. When staining the liquid in red, the soil is acidic, in blue - slightly acidic, in greenish - neutral.
- The second way. Determination of soil acidity independently with improvised means can be done by digging a hole with a depth of 20-25 centimeters. To do this, you only need a shovel. If the earth will have a whitish layer, then the soil is acidic. On any site there are pits and grooves in which water stagnates. If it has a rusty-colored appearance and its surface is covered with a rainbow film with loose sediment of a dark yellow color, then the soil in your area is strongly acidic.
- In order not to puzzle how to determine the acidity of the soil yourself, there is a proven method. This will require table vinegar. It is enough to water them with earth. If bubbles appear, there is no reason to worry: the soil is neutral. The mixture hissed during an alkaline reaction. If vinegar is combined with water and a pinch of soda and the earth is poured with this compound, the reaction will proceed with a hiss, and foam will appear on the surface. In this case, we can conclude that the soil is acidic.
- Determination of soil acidity independently at home can be done with a glass of grape juice. To do this, lower the land into it from the site. If the color changes or bubbles appear, the soil is neutral.
Many gardeners and gardeners trust technology more than folk methods. There is such a device - a pH meter - with which it is easy to determine the acidity of the soil in any area. To do this, just place it in the ground and record the pH reading, which is indicated on the device with an accuracy of tenths.
This procedure takes no more than one minute and does not require any additional devices, materials, substances. And most importantly, it saves time. The device is also good because it can also be used to measure the level of moisture in the soil. This is of no small importance.
How does soil acidity affect plants?
Neutral soil has a beneficial effect on most cultivated plants. In a soil with high acidity, root growth worsens. This is due to an insufficient supply of nutrients to plants. The acid reaction of the soil reduces the protein and nitrogen content in them. The process of sucrose conversion is suppressed.
Cultivated plants experience a stronger influence of the acidic environment during growth. With its cessation, they weaken. In addition, ferruginous, aluminum, and manganese compounds dissolve faster in acidic soil, which slows the growth of plants.
Determination of soil acidity by weeds
This is a very simple but not entirely accurate way. Determination of soil acidity on the basis of weeds can be carried out by observing the state of your site. The fact is that wild and weed grasses grow on different types of soil. If the site is overgrown with nettle, clover, wheatgrass, alfalfa, burdock or field bindweed, then the soil is alkaline.
Thick thickets of horse sorrel, sticking white squirrel, moss, horsetail, clerk, Veronica oak, plantain, woodlice, mint, Ivan da Maria, torica, sedge, fragrant bell, cinquefoil, creeping buttercup, daisies can be observed on acidic soil.
How to determine the acidity of the soil by the appearance of plants?
Very often, novice farmers ask themselves how to determine the acidity of the soil on their own. The easiest way, which does not require any investment, is observation and the necessary supply of knowledge. So, plants, growing on soils with high acidity, receive insufficient nutrients. This affects the condition of the leaves and trunk.
For example, consider beetroot, which prefers an alkaline environment. If its leaves are green, and the petioles are red, then it grows on neutral ground. When faint red streaks appear on the leaves, it can be said that the soil is weakly acidic. And if the tops turn red, the soil has an acid reaction.
How to determine the acidity of the soil using chalk?
By purchasing a land plot, each owner plans to seriously and for a long time engage in the cultivation of cultivated plants. First, you should determine the acidity of the soil. Even a beginner can cope with this independently on his garden plot, and he will do it at minimal cost. Want to know how? To do this, you can use chalk, which is likely to be found in every home. First you need to prepare a glass bottle and put a handful of earth in it. Then pour five tablespoons of warm water. Then add chopped chalk - just one teaspoon. Next, the neck of the bottle must be closed with a rubber fingertip.
It remains only to shake the bottle with all its contents vigorously so that the ingredients mix well. If the fingertip begins to straighten, then a chemical reaction is going on between the acid in the soil and the chalk, which is alkali . This means that the soil in your area is acidic.
Determination of soil acidity using red cabbage
The leaves of this vegetable have the ability to change their color depending on the environment in which they are: alkaline or acidic. The reaction test is performed as follows. Cabbage is cut into thin strips, which are placed in a pan, poured with water and boiled thirty minutes from the moment of boiling.
Plain white paper is cut into ten centimeter strips (in length). Their width is one centimeter. When the solution has cooled, it should be filtered. Then, the prepared paper is lowered into it for five minutes. When the strips are soaked in liquid, they are removed and placed on a wire rack to dry completely. We made homemade indicators. Now the determination of soil acidity on the site alone can be carried out with their help.
It is necessary to take one piece of land and three waters. Mix well and insist for half an hour. Filter the solution and drip onto a makeshift indicator. If its color has not changed - the soil in your area is neutral. The pink color of the strip indicates a slightly acidic soil, and red - a very acidic soil.
What soil do different plants prefer?
For the growth of various crops, soil with a specific reaction to acidity is required. So, neutral ground is preferred by plants such as coltsfoot, bindweed, clover. From vegetable crops - cabbage, beets, onions, garlic.
Slightly acidic soils provide a good crop of cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, radish, peas, potatoes, radishes. They are ideal for roses, daisies, chrysanthemums.
Acidic soil fully provides nutrients for tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots, sorrel, parsley.
What determines the acidity of the soil?
Many plants are preferably planted in neutral soil. They grow better in it. Acidity depends on the limestone contained in the soil. If it is not enough, it will be sour. And in it, plants absorb nutrients necessary for growth much worse. When applying fertilizers, the efficiency will not live up to your expectations. In such a land, plants develop poorly, experience starvation. As a result, yield decreases, and the quality of the product leaves much to be desired.
It is better to lime the soil in the autumn-spring period. Lime is carefully crushed. Its grains should not exceed one millimeter in diameter. Otherwise, the calcareous effect will decrease. The prepared crushed rock should be scattered in the beds, carefully and evenly dug to a depth of 20 centimeters. If lime is unevenly distributed over the site, this can destroy the plants. You can acidify the soil by watering it with a solution, for the preparation of which potassium permanganate is dissolved in water.