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Will Your Soil Pass The Test?

To grow crops successfully, you need to have good soil. Some people are fortunate enough to live in an area in which the soil is rich with nutrients and perfect for growing vegetables. For the rest of us, there are many ways to recognize a nutrient deficiency or an inappropriate pH and easy ways to fix these issues. You can always take a sample of your soil for detailed testing. Many universities and commercial businesses will test your soil for grain size, moisture, compaction, permeability, nutrients, pH, and more, but this is not always necessary. You may be able to make a few simple observations to determine your soil’s needs. Based on the deficiency, you can then add the correct supplement and turn your garden into a major producer at harvest time.

If you do go for an official test of your soil’s nutrient levels, the testing company or university will look for amounts of the three major nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. They will also check levels of secondary elements like sulfur, magnesium, and calcium and minor nutrients like copper, iron, manganese, boron, zinc, and molybdenum. Spotting deficiencies of most of these elements on your own is not too difficult. If you suspect your soil is not perfect, you will also want to determine the pH and adjust accordingly with additives.

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Nutrient Deficiencies

Identifying and Correcting pH

Having soil that is too acidic or too basic can cause your plants to fail to absorb certain nutrients. The best way to get an accurate read on your soil’s pH is to use a testing kit, which is easy to find. If you don’t need an accurate measure, there are some easy ways to tell if your soil is acidic or basic. Add vinegar to a sample of your soil. If it fizzes, you have basic or alkaline soil. Add a mix of water and baking soda to a fresh sample. If it fizzes, you have acidic soil. If nothing happens in either test, your soil is roughly neutral. To make soil more basic, add lime or wood ash. If it is basic, add pine needles or sulfur.

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