Home testing - learning what ph your soil has

Soil ph is a major factor in how well your plants can take in nutrients. You can easily test your ph at home.

First, you need a small sample of soil from your garden. You should dig down about 4-6 inches and take about a tablespoon of soil. Put this soil sample in a plastic cup. Next add 3 times the about of water as soil for a 3:1 ratio i.e. add 3 tablespoons of water if you have 1 tablespoon of soil. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.

For the actual ph measurement you need some type of ph measurement like litmus paper or an electronic ph measuring device. You can make your own ph paper or liquid with red cabbage read how on this link http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/makephpaper.htm

Last year when I tested my soil, using a store bough soil test kit, we got a ph of 8.8. Good garden soil ph is in the range of 6.5-7.5 with the best being closer to ph7

Once you know your soil ph you can make adjustments to the ph. Adding lime if your soil is too acidic (ph below 7) or adding sulfur if your soil is to alkaline (ph above 7). In western states and Utah never add lime, soils in this region have free lime and are 99.9% too alkaline adding lime will make this problem a much bigger problem.