The Hydroponic Gardening Practice that can Vastly Improve Soil Based Gardens
by John Berends
It may not be possible to water with pH adjusted water, but it is still helpful to test the water source to know which way it is moving the pH of the soil. For container plants that are watered by hand it is possible to easily correct the pH of the water using the same pH-up or pH-down products used in hydroponics or aquaculture. These can be purchased at fish stores or hydroponics suppliers.
Water pH test kits can be purchased for less than $5 and soil test kits that use paper strips can be purchased for around $5. pH meters that are inserted into moist soil to test pH can be purchased for $12 and up. The good news is that most of these kits come with charts showing the optimum pH for various garden plants and if they don't come with the kit, such charts can be found online.
Amendments to change pH levels
Lime and sulfur are common amendments to change soil pH. Dolomite limestone (calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate) add calcium and magnesium and increases the pH. Agricultural (elemental) sulfur is used to acidify alkaline soil. The amount to add depends on the current and the desired pH levels. Fortunately, most horticultural lime and sulfur products provide application charts which show how much is needed to move the PH from the tested level to the desired level for a particular size garden or planting container.
By monitoring and modifying soil pH, as needed, the soil based gardener will take a huge step towards matching the strengths of the controlled hydroponics environment. Plants grown in soil or media with the proper pH can readily use the nutrients available to them resulting in spectacular gardens.
source : hydroponic
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