Soil pH Testing and pH Meters

Chemists use pH as a measure of acidity or alkalinity, on a scale from 0 to 14. The higher the pH number the more alkaline a substance or mixture is, and 'neutral' is therefore around pH 7.

As it happens, this neutral pH is also the best acidity level in soils and growing media for the majority of plants, as it allows nutrients in the soil to be released and absorbed by the plants' roots. This acidity can be measured in a number of ways, including liquid analysis using indicator strips (like the litmus paper you might have used in school chemistry lessons) or electronic measurement of soil activity or conductivity (measuring the level of positive hydrogen ions in the soil), with pH meters.

Acidity can be different when the soil is 'resting' compared with when crops are actively growing and so it's important to measure the pH of your soil at different times of year and at different stages of the growing cycle to build a clear picture of your soil's pH cycle.

Soil can also have very high levels of nutrients 'locked up' due to non-optimal pH, and adding fertiliser to soil in these circumstances is expensive and wasteful.

By measuring at testing your own soil you can take these measurements as often as you like and in as many sample sites as you wish, to build a full understanding of your soil and take the appropriate action (often simply liming) without overdoing it 'just to make sure'.

A full range of soil analysis kits and equipment is available to buy online directly from Novanna Measurement Systems.