pH Soil Test Kits: Making the Most of Your Garden Soil
Any keen gardener knows that to the most out of all their hard work and to be able to maximise the benefits from their garden design, they need to know what type and condition their soil is.
Testing your soil is a simple, low cost way to help guide you in choosing the plants and shrubs most suitable to the soil in your garden. Spending a few pounds on a testing kit can save you hundreds if you make the mistake of poor planting choices in unsuitable soil.
pH Soil Testers: Acidic or Alkaline Soil
These handy affordable soil testing kits measure the levels of pH found in the soil. PH testers let you know whether you soil is acidic or alkaline, an important factor to consider when making a list of plants you’d like during the garden design phase.
Soil testing kits have a display box at the top with one or two metal prongs protruding from the bottom. To test the soil the user simply inserts the prongs into the ground and after a short time the results of the ph test are displayed on the display at the top of the unit.
Garden Soil: Planting Guide
With the knowledge of the pH levels in the soil you can now think about which plants are best suited to the soil in your garden. Certain plants and shrubs will do very well in an alkaline soil while other varieties favour an acidic soil. I have compiled a short list of the most popular plants found in the garden.
Acidic Soil: Planting guide
Soil with a reading of 7 or less on the pH scale is considered acidic, the lower the number the more acidic the soil is. Most Evergreens prefer and acidic soil:
- Azaleas
- Rhododendrons
- Lilacs
- Roses
- Hydrangea
- Sunflowers
- Begonias
Alkaline Soil: Planting guide
If your garden soil has a rating higher than 7 on the pH scale then it’s considered to be an alkaline soil. Plants that do well in an alkaline based soil are:
- Eucalyptus
- Japanese Honeysuckle
- Geranium
- Lavendar
- Clematis
- Chrysanthemum
- Heathers
As you can see, these simple soil testing kits can really help narrow your planting choices and guide you in the right direction when building a plant list during the design process.
Buying your own garden soil pH Testing Kit
Before starting your garden design it’s well worth ordering your own testing kit and getting to know the acidity levels of the soil around your garden. It would be a good idea to do a yearly test once you have the testing kit because soils acidity / alkaline levels can, and do change with environmental factors.
Order a testing kit today and save time and money and avoid the heartache of poor planting choices.