Sometimes you need
to know how acidic or alkalinic your soil is before you plant
certain types of plants or seeds, since some will flourish
in one type of soil but whither in the other. But having a
full soil analysis can be expensive for many gardeners. Here
is how to check at home.
In a clean container
place 1/2 cup of soil you want to test. Then add 1/2 cup white
vinegar. Watch how the soil reacts... fi it fizzes or you
see bubbles it is alkaline.
In another clean
container place 1/2 cup soil. Then add a mixture of 1/2 cup
water and 1/2 cup baking soda. If this mixture causes the
soil to bubble, then it is acidic.
Do note that while
this tells you if your soil is acidic or alkalinic, it will
not tell you exactly what pH level it is, so it could run
from being slightly acidic to extremely acidic.
