Soil ph soil acidity and alkalinity are measured using the ph scale which translates into the presence of hydrogen.
What kind of ph do hardwoods like.
Some plants blueberries azaleas prefer more acidic soil while a few ferns asparagus do best in soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline.
Wood has a natural ph of between 4 and 6.
If soil ph needs to be raised meaning the ground is not alkaline enough apply garden lime.
While some plants thrive in alkalinity overly alkaline soils cause damage to other.
They grow in soil with a ph of 4 3 to 5 2.
In general most plants prefer neutral or slightly lower.
They do best in loose rich soil with a ph of 6 0 to 7 0.
Ph 6 0 to 7 0.
That s because all wood contains some acidic components like tannic acid.
This type of fern has brown leafless fertile fronds and infertile leafy fronds that can be up to 6 feet tall.
Soils with a ph level that is higher than 7 are said to be alkaline such soils are suitable for growing plants that thrive in a sweet soil as opposed to a sour or acid soil.
Garden writer steven bender suggests that southern gardeners avoid planting dogwood in soil with a ph of 7 0 or.
Any ph number lower than 7 is acidic and those above 7 are alkaline.
However most cleaning products like bleach tsp trisodium phosphate and detergents have a high ph alkaline or basic.
Do not use wood ash if the soil ph is 7 0 or higher as the addition of wood ash further increases the soil ph.
White flowering dogwood for example does well at a soil ph between 5 5 and 6 6.
How do you find out your soil ph.