Controlling soil pH is essential in any gardening task. Having a soil with a lack of dying, very basic or very acid can be a problem for any garden, if these problems are not corrected the plants could become sick and even die.
A basic or alkaline soil has high pH above 7. This high pH structure gives the soil a low infiltration capacity, poor structure and slow permeability, which will be summarized in soaked soils.
An acid soil will be one whose pH has values below 7. When the nature of our soil is acidic, a lack of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium or boron may occur.
How to control soil pH
The soil pH can change for several reasons, but in general it is for a lack of nutrients. Depending on the type of nutrients that are missing, the way of adding them to the soil is different. Some of them are applied in small quantities, such as zinc, iron or copper. In the case of minerals in large quantities, it is best to apply them from the root, i.e. by fertilizing the garden soil or pot.
Another solution is to lower the soil pH by acidity, so that the nutrients that the soil does have but that the roots do not, are released allowing reaching them. This can be done using a very acidic soil, such as the Turban Blonde variety, but mixing it with the garden soil at 50%.
It is also possible to improve the acidity with sulfur powder, it is more economical but it should be consulted with a professional before applying it since the sulfur measurements vary and the quality of the soil can be worse when exceeding the appropriate dose.
The last option is to lower the soil pH with iron sulfate. It can be applied by dissolving in water or directly in the soil. There is more than one variety of this product; the most practical is the green color. Apply sulfate through irrigation water once a month, excluding winter.
