Soil pH, Compost and Fertilizer

April 14, 2012

The homestead is coming along nicely. We have the garden soil turned over and have checked our pH and nutrient levels to learn what we need to add to the soil before planting. I know that many in the country have planted already. We here in Idaho are still in preparation; there’s still a risk of frost.

There’s still so much to do. I had planned to get the rows made this week but am down in my back. Those dog-on raspberries! Pulling and fixing them up was a chore. It didn’t seem like much until the next morning. OUCH!

The video for soil pH and compost is a two-part series with a third “informational” video on pH and fertilizers. Enjoy!

Back to the Homestead - Soil pH and Fertilizer Part 1 of 2

Back to the Homestead - Soil pH and Fertilizer Part 2 of 2

Soil pH and Compost

If you think about it, we are made of dirt. Well, there’s not much thinking that we’d have to do. The bible tells us from dust we came, right? The soil has the nutrients, the plants take the nutrients in as they grow and deliver the nutrients to us when we consume the plant’s fruits and vegetables. Doesn’t it make sense that we should inspect our soil once in a while to make sure it is in tip top shape so we ourselves can stay in tip top shape? After all, there are an abundance (as of the writing of this article) of nutrient-starved vegetables and fruits on the store shelves; why would we want to produce what we can get for cheap (well, cheaper than we can grow ourselves)?

Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of our homestead’s soil. The optimum pH range for most plants is between 6 and 7.5, however many plants can thrive quite well at pH values outside this range. Though the rage of pH is 1-14 with 1 being most acid and 14 being most alkaline, you will find that soil will range between 4 and 9 as extremes with an average of 5-8 (though soil pH values could be found outside these mid-ranges.

Examples:

pH 4.5-5.0 Blueberry, Cranberry

pH 5.0 - 5.5 Parsley, Potato, Sweet Potato, Radish

pH 5.5 - 6.0 Bean, Brussels Sprouts, Carrot, Peanuts, Rhubarb, Soybean

pH 6.0 - 6.5 Broccoli, Cabbage, Cannabis, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Pea, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Squash, Tomato, Turnip

pH 6.5 - 7.0 Asparagus, Beet, Celery, Lettuce, Melons, Onion, Parsnip, Spinach, Sweet

Macronutrients that are necessary for adequate plant growth are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and are found in most commercial fertilizers. However, calcium, magnesium and sulfur are also considered macronutrients and are seldom found in commercial N-P-K fertilizers. N-P-K values are the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) values. Many bags of fertilizers will have three numbers posted on the packaging; the three numbers refer to the percent of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K).

Addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, plants need larger amounts of calcium, magnesium and sulfur for healthy growth.

Necessary micronutrients including iron, manganese, zinc, copper, cobalt, molybdenum and boron are necessary for not only healthy plant growth but our health as well. It’s these micronutrients that many of the store-bought vegetables and fruits are missing.

Plants can grow nice and appear healthy with sufficient nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and some (though deficient) micronutrients. However, we are made up of so much more than these three elements. The only way to get both the macronutrients and micronutrients into “us” is to have a sufficient supply in the soil in which we plant our seeds and seedlings.

The trick is to balance our soil’s pH so the plants can utilize the available nutrients. As a matter of fact, some of the nutrients themselves can change the soil’s pH. For example, sulfur can lower the soil’s pH while calcium can raise the soil’s pH.




Back to the Homestead - Soil pH and Fertilizer Basics of the Basics



References:

http://dig-it-gardening.blogspot.com/
http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/label.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/woodash.html
http://www.emmitsburg.net/cgi-bin/pf/mg/pf.cgi
http://homeharvest.com/vegeherbphphpreference.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH
http://www.simply-hydroponics.com/48/what-does-ph-stand-for/
http://www.chem4kids.com/
http://www.ehow.com
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/benefits_benefits.htm
http://www.gardeners.com/Fertilizer-Basics/5161,default,pg.html