How to Measure your Soil pH Cheap and Easy
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- Soil pH is one of the most important factors that can be overlooked in the garden. pH has impacts on the availability of nutrients and of the plants ability to take them up. If the pH of your garden soil is not in the optimal range for the plants you are trying to grow you may end up having issues. Often plants grown in a soil that does not have the optimal pH don’t produce or if they do their harvests are low while the plant may looks stressed.
On today’s joint episode between the Testing Garden Assumptions and Urban Garden Series I am going to take a look at soil pH, how to easily measure it and how you can adjust the pH over time if need be.
pH is measured in a 14 point scale with 0 being the most acidic 7 neutral and 14 the most basic.
Testing Garden Assumptions Series Playlist:
• Testing Garden Assumpt...
Urban Gardening Series Playlist:
• Urban Gardening Series...
References:
University of Vermont pH requirements for plant growth reference sheet:
pss.uvm.edu/ppp/pubs/oh34.htm - Навчання та стиль
I enjoy a person making a presentation without irrelevant talk about anything remotely connected with the subject,thank you for using all of your time for garden soil and how to apply different methods.A good speaker is a gift that not everyone possesses.👍
I am glad to help my friend!
@@AlbertaUrbanGarden food it what kind of water? U can't use regular water?
Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground's tune, 'Sweet Jane' come to mind every time I hear the first few measures of your opening theme.
I know a gift when I hear and see one. Never stop sir.
This was a really great video, very helpful! I just recently purchased this meter to test my gardens pH and it came with instructions but they were pretty vague so I decided to look on UA-cam (everyone’s go to of how to) and i’m glad I did because I thought that it wasn’t working and I was ready to send it back now I can go out and properly test the soil and hopefully my device is actually working OK. Thanks again!
A very helpful discussion -- thanks!
Another fine video! PH as you've stated is very important and something I check in the fall. If I have to adjust it it'll have the winter to do so as it takes several months for the change to show. Compost helps to make the soil neutral as well.
It is certainly the first thing I look at when I see issues with plants. No need to think too hard if it's just a pH issue.
Up here te soil freezes for the winter so amending it would be tough :)
Your videos are great! Very helpful, thank you.
A very good video -- informative and technically well done -- thanks!
Great to see you've got a new vid up, hope things are going well 'in your neck of the woods'.. (Not sure if you Canadians know the expression, but its hopefully good where you are).
It certainly is an expression up here :) I am good. The garden and my son are growing my wife is happy and there is more than enough produce to go around. Life is good !
Hope things are good down there too!
I wish I could make more than one video a week but for now Friday afternoon videos will have to do! Except this Sunday I do have a bonus one coming.
Perfect timing Stephen! My pH meter has just arrived this morning ;)
Excellent happy measuring !
you poor thing these meters are garbage
Clear and to the point. Followed!
Great video and very helpful!! Thank you!
Great informational video! Thank you!
Excellent video, thank you!
Thank you for sharing your knowledgeably. Very clearly and thoroughly.
thank you for no lags in your video, not boring at all.
I love those meters! Been using them for years! The one I use also has moisture, and light on it!
they are cheap and fairly effective ;) I have not figured out the light setting yet but I have also not had a need to.
***** Me either ; )
Very informative, thanks!
More good information Stephen. Best wishes Bob.
Glad you enjoyed the clip!
Great video. To the point. I have one of those meters too that I'm not impressed with. I will do more experiments now using your method to see if I can get more repeatable results.
Hmm, you Canadians really do a great job in your gardening videos....wish I could find top notch knowledge like this but targeting south Florida and other tropical areas.
Lots of info you just gotta look
You did very good bro! Great video!
Thank you !
I have that meter. I didn't think it was very good. However after watching you video I see I wasn't doing it the best way. I just followed the package directions. I'm going to try it again....that is if I can find it 😜 thanks!
it takes some work and is not super accurate but should give you an idea if you are on the right tract!
You can just as well take out the homogenous dirt and place it in a plastic box (no metal !) before adding the water and measuring the pH :)
@Juan Polla Larga Stamosa It works well for a flush.
thank you for sharing have a blessed day
thank you my friend!
excelent! bravo!!!!
Thank you friend !
Thank you for valuable information
Excellent video!!
Good job. Thanks.
nice video, well done my gardening friend!
Thank you for this information.
It was very helpful to me.
owsome. .👍👍👍
Glad I could help !
Oh heck yeah - awesome video. Thanks so much from Florida subscriber.
Very good video. Thanks
Very helpful, and even more informative. Thank you sir.
I had this meter for a while, it is awesome.
Anthony Garcia it’s trash
@@dizzycrafts6230 I'm sorry you didn't like it. But it works for me😊
Science! Thanks.
I just bought one of these I love it!!!
wonderful
Excellent keep it up for the man who has invented this video
Excellent presentation! Well disciplined, pragmatic and focussed. Your many and varied topic videos have always been spot-on and indicate a person well intentioned and passionate. You are a boon to aspiring gardeners.: from Tranquility Hostas and Peppers in Ontario
Very nice video! I meter reads around 5.5 ph levels. I guess I need to bring it up!
Or you could plant blue berrys
Very helpful, thank you! Love your channel...you do a great job on everything.
Thank you my friend!
So helpful and well done, per usual! Your audio sounds great, by the way - how do you get your sound so clean and crisp?
I dont do any editing but I do have a Rode Video Creator Lapel mic set up. I clip the mic between the folds in my button up collar and set the receiver to -20db. It works wonders with very little work ;)
robots made your mic inside of a bubble... nice
I think i have heared Elaine Ingham say that a plant is also capable of altering the PH in it's own rootball. (i think this is how plants survive if their PH conditions suddenly change, due to natural events, since it can not move) I don't have a PH meter. (i'm a zero gadget gardener, mostly because of financial reasons) I'm lucky to have a wide range of natural habitats. I plant it where it would naturally grow. (i know you yourself can't do that, i feel very lucky, trust me, Stephen! :) ) I just popped my blueberry in the soil that has decomposing pine roots, leaf mold and a bit of dappled shade, it's natural habitat, they're doing fine. I actually pick up my new plant, ask it where it wants to go and then think deeply about it's natural habitat, the other plants that would grow there too, look at my garden and walk right to it. If i try to force my will on my plants, i fails! My garden does not look the way i want, it looks the way the plants want it and i adapt to that. I lime the soil a bit for the brassicas when they go in but those are the anual beds. The questions, do they like firm or loose soil (brassica vs rootcrops), do they like mulch or don't they (tall vs small crops, dry vs wet), do they like wet feet or not (potatoes vs mediterranian herbs), do they like shade or don't they? (forest berries vs grapes) are often much more pertinent to ask because these conditions often bring along their respective PH values automatically in a natural system. In a lot of cases anyway. Unless your plot floods consistently and went anaerobic or just received the motherload of organic matter in the form of compost or something major. I will eventually buy an accurate PH meter when i can and test if i am actually correct or not. Might take a while, ahem. :D Accurate probably means expensive.
plants can change the pH of the soil in the local area of their roots but not a whole lot. if the pH is too far out of their optimal range the plant won't be strong enough to do that and win over time.
if you have space that is wonderful! if I could I would work with the area as appose to fighting it!
Informative thank. You
I recently received this exact soil meter and I can't get the dial to read the pH, even after thoroughly watering, cleaning the prongs, and leaving it in for a few minutes. It just stays stubbornly at 8 in every sample, even in peaty mixes that should read lower. Do you have any tips/tricks for that?
I just try to make sure I have good soil contact. Try getting a handful of wet soil in your hand and wrap it around the probe.
good video..your weight loss looks good..Amen..i use this tester
Thank you my friend!
nice garden
when you say you're adding " Peat" are you referring to peat moss .. is that the same as those pods for indoors? can i mix them in the soil of a potted plant to lower PH?
Thanks for effort and time.
Africa_Sudan
Nice video nicely done 🙏🙏🙏🙏😯😯😯😯
Very helpful thanks man and no trying to buy your product (well a product you use to get commission off of it)
You said pine needles don't affect soil PH. Can you explain why grass and plants don't grow underneath trees where the needles fall? I read in a book that it could be because the tree takes all the water but I'm not 100% convinced. Thanks for running a great channel. I love disproving myths.
The root mat of the pine is very thick and shallow. They basically take all the water and nutrients out preventing other crops from growing ;)
Liked the video. Precise and to the point. But since pH is the negative logarithm to the base 10 of hydrogen ion concentration, taking average (arithmetic mean) is not the right thing to do. Nonetheless, liked your video. Cheers
I have mods in my lawn. how do I treat it
Ty
I bought a 3 way meter like the one he used and the PH level was always on 7 even in pure lemon juice, I filed it away in my trash can.
Dan Champion same here.
The moisture side works good though. So I still use it. 😂
Nice
Hey Steve, long time no see,hoping your still filming.I have a crazy question and thought you'd be a great candidate to answer it,lam diligent about recycling household throw aways,my question is would the carbon filter on the kitchen sink be used for anything pertaining to the garden like smashing into small pieces or powder something like bio char? Always trying to make a smaller footprint...You got a great shout-out from Garden Scott
Howdy my friend. Unfortunately no it’s not a good idea to add your carbon filter for two reasons. Why builds up on a carbon filter are salts which in high enough concentrations will cause issues in the garden. The second is plastic mobility. If you break it up there is a higher likelihood that the plastics that make the case will find their way into the environment.
I’ll have to check out Garden Scott !
what kind of electrode does the soil ph meter use?
You saved me. I thought I bought a piece of crap haha.
Obrigado,
From Brazil.
Could you post the readings chart again please as I have this meter and I want to check my soil ph. Thank you
I don’t have it anymore but you can pause the video if that helps
some videos suggest to test the soil at least 15 mins after adding the water...what are your thoughts on that?
Can I interface it with microcontroller
Hi, is it multiple use of PH meter ?
What do you think 🤔 lime will work?
So to get a reading you have to let it sit 1 min or is the distilled water a must? I bought one at Lowes and every place I stuck it (in and out) all was the same which made me think it didn’t work. Thanks for the video 😊
The distilled water is a must to help get contact for the sensor.
Thank you. Any zero error adjustment in the apparatus ?
Some times but I just reset and its usually close enough as its a logarithmic scale.
I have a digital ph reader for hydroponics. I was wondering if I put a handful of soil into water and tested the dirty water would I get an accurate read? Would it mess up my reader?
It actually would work much better than this method and would not cause issues. Just make sure to use distilled water.
thanks
my pleasure.
Can check PH in water, using this ph meter?
I swear I watched an elaine ingham youtube video where she basically called changing the ph of your soil useless as long as you have the right soil food web. I'll see if I can find it.
plants can change the pH of the soil in the local area of their roots but not a whole lot. if the pH is too far out of their optimal range the plant won't be strong enough to do that and win over time.
What is the brand name of you ph meter?
Thats interesting , using the word ‘sacrifice’ , meaning to gift , a giving with joy , joy meaning a worthy embrace , in this instance the word ‘sacrifice’ implies a hurtful loss .. interesting ,
Can u use this for water pls feply asap ty
Here in the tropics we have very acidic and aluminum presence on our clay. How can it be raised, do you know any way?
Amend with limestone or Calcium Hydroxide. The CaOH is fast acting and should not have any adverse effects. You will need a more informed opinion than mine on application rate and quantity. Good luck.
Garden lime worked great for an empty area to fill grown from seed to grass. Throw handfuls all over. I didn't use that much maybe t pins around the whole house
Help!! none of my drug stores sell me distilled water they keep telling me I got the wrong store. I have been to atleast 9 drug stores.
Ask them for deionized water
how do you calibrate the tester ? cam you verify it's accuracy ? can you messure the ph of distilled water to test your tester ?
its close enough to the test results I had on the soil.
so you don't know how to calibrate it ! can i find some information about this ?
is there a reason why you put dry leaves on top of your soil?
Does cleaning the probes with your fingers not potentially alter the reading. I know nothing about this subject so this is just an innocent question,
It can but not significantly enough to matter for this type of probe.
Remember, accuracy and precision are 2 different things
I ruined my potatoes by putting coffee beans in the dirt, blocked all the nuets and now they are bleh. This year is dedicated to messing up.
I did not become good by knowing what I was doing. I became good by killing a lot of plants in a lot of different ways :)
I'm going to try and find one here in S Ont. Question: can I use coir instead of peat?
You can but coir has a neutral pH and won't keep hints acidic.
***** Thank you for answering me. I got the brick of Coir and figured using it instead of peat to mix up container soils with that and manure for over-winter. I'll definitely look for that pH meter!
good luck my friend!
You try to give the video more brightness it will be great if you do
I like coconut core.
A scientific, lab-grade digital pH meter is $10 on Amazon and actually works unlike those stupid analog garden ones.
Which one?
Niceeeeeeeeeee
Are you a Botanist? If so, where did you get your certification/s?
A professional in this industry would be a horticulturist or agronomist, not a botanist. These are typically Bachelor's degree or higher for a position in the industry. However, there are Master Gardener programs established to train volunteers to work with cooperative extention programs (university) that are extremely good as well.
I've read about being able to test soil PH by adding small amounts of soil to the water leftover from boiling a red cabbage. Obviously it wouldn't give you an exact reading but it can let you know what end of the spectrum you are leaning towards at least. Thanks for the video, I've never tested my soil's PH but perhaps I need to.
I had not heard that one before but I will have to check it out! Thank you!
what are you growing that needs low PH? just curious
Grapes and strawberries too but less than the already mentioned lingonberries and blueberries.
Also citrus plants pH from 6.0 to 7.0
I know about the peat moss' capability of water & nutrients retention and raising the soil pH. Other than that why should one use peat moss?? Is it a nitrogen(green) based amendment or carbon(brown) based?? Also any cons of using it??
Nope it's definitely a filler additive that improves soil structure and keeps pH down. I might suggest taking a read over blogs discussing the matter. There are strong opinions on both sides.
***** Thanks. Also on a similar topic I'd like to ask that does adding Coco peat deprive the soil of nitrogen, even though they serve the same purpose of peat moss?? My country has an abundance of coco peat.
it is fine to use just make sure it has been washed as raw it has a fair bit of salt in it. There is no issues with it robbing nitrogen.
I find that coco peat takes almost 10 years to breakdown. So no worries for nitrogen :)
is swamp mud good for garden?
That's kind of a broad term and I would suspect no as it likely has a lot of seeds in it that could cause issues in the garden.
I am new to garden and this makes me a little confused: Lower PH means acidic and will not increase the base @4:03
The word 'base' here 4:03 was not used as basic/acidic meaning. The word 'base' was used as "foundation".
Some culture need acidic soil and your foundation will be better with peat moss because it has a tendency to drive pH lower than tipical soil.
Just got mine, but the tester doesnt work.
Where did you purchase the PH reader? thanks
most garden stores should have them. if you can splurge and get the digital pH pin not this one.
Thank you. :)
my pleasure.
but what does it mean?
is it accurate?. i don't think so. Better need to calibrate the standard rate within that meter.
Peat is antimicrobial so why would you use it in your garden?
HUH? I try to get my information from multiple sources. Video suggests using gypsum or lime to increase PH-make soil more alkaline. My reading and experience says that gypsum does not change soil PH as it contains sulfur. Video suggests using sulfur to lower soil PH-make it more acidic and then suggest an immediate soil test. The sulfur takes months to work. Following the directions given may well lead to over application.
Forgive me but, this video has much incorrect and misleading information.
I think that 's not correct display. Digital meter more accurate than that green. Coz i had one. If u measure the same soil put in the different container... the result?.
I got 3 different ones they all say 7 all the time
My soil pH is at a 9.6 and apparently I need a 7 to 8 max, can anybody help me?
mix vinegar with water can quickly lower your PH
Test it again in a few places and average them. I would then look at your plants to see if there are any common stresses associated with out of wack pH. Unfortunatly if the resting pH is high it is very hard to change unless you add in a equal parts organic material that have a lower pH. Short term solutions only work for a few days and then the soil neutralizes them.
I ruined my first pH meter, or its leads, by leaving it in my soil for too long (like, weeks) :(
oops!
+Alberta Urban Garden Simple Organic and Sustainable what if I converted one of these cheapo analog meters into a digital output? :) haha it could produce some interesting numbers!
That may be very interesting!
dont youse pete in decres pH as it is bad for the inviroment