How to Test Your Soil pH and Texture at Home :-A healthy plant starts with a healthy soil. As much as water and sunshine, soil is what makes plants grow or die. For a good growing season, test your dirt in the spring or autumn.
How to Test Your Soil pH and Texture at Home
Why Get a Soil Test?
Plants need to be able to get nutrients from the dirt. Your plants won’t grow well if you don’t. To make sure your plants can get the nutrients they need from the dirt, make sure the pH level is just right.
If your pH is too high, nutrients like iron and calcium may not be as easy to get. On the other hand, if your pH is too low, plants can die from it. It is hard to have a good garden without healthy soil.
How To Take a Soil Test :
Remove any surface litter, plant leftovers, leaves, etc. to get a sample that is representative of the whole.
Stay away from places where ashes have been dumped, manure or compost has been kept, or brush has been burned.
Make a V-shaped hole in the ground 6 to 8 inches deep with a shovel or trowel.
Cut a piece of dirt that is 1 inch wide and runs the length of the hole from one side. To use in your sample, cut a 1-inch strip from the middle of this slice.
Take more random samples in the garden, and then put them all in a clean glass jar or bucket and mix them up. We mix a piece from each raised bed because we have them.
Take a cupful of dirt, let it dry inside for a few days, and then put it in a plastic bag and write your name on it.
Send it in with the right paperwork and fees, and then wait for the findings.
Nitrogen :
Nitrogen: The letter N stands for nitrogen, which helps plants grow leaves. They will tell you how much grass or garbage to use for nitrogen.
Spread fresh soil on the ground in the autumn so it can break down over the winter and be ready to plant in the spring. You can use dried blood, alfalfa, soybean, or cottonseed meals instead if you’d like.
They give off nitrogen quickly, so adding it to your soil in the winter is not a good idea.
It’s the same amount of nitrogen in 10 pounds of blood meal as in 10–20 bushels of manure, but dung doesn’t have any of the extra benefits that blood meal does.
Phosphorus :
Phosphorus: The letter P stands for phosphorus, which plants need to sprout, grow strong roots, make flowers and food. It helps plants take in minerals, build strong roots, and fight off disease.
Phosphorus, magnesium, and minor minerals can be found in rock phosphate. Rock powders are great for improving the soil.
Because they work slowly but last a long time, you only need to use them every 3 to 4 years. There are easier ways to get phosphorus, like bone meal and bone char.
Potassium :
For potassium, the letter K stands for potash or potassium. It controls the flow of water in plant cells and is needed for plants to grow, fruit, and fight off diseases.
Plants will have weak roots and slow growth if they don’t get enough potassium. To add potassium, you can use greensand or granite dust.
Greensand is made from glauconite, an ocean element that is high in potassium and iron. Ash from burning wood also has a lot of potash.→
