Be the Kind of Landlord Renters Can Appreciate

PH Levels And Your Soil: How The Right Fertilizer Makes All The Difference

Gardening is more than just planting things in the ground and watering them. Gardening is a science, like botany. You have to know something about the PH of the soil in your yard and on your land before you select plants to grow in it. This is why so many fertilizer companies label their fertilizers with vital PH information. It helps landscapers and gardeners know how the PH of the fertilizer will change the PH of the natural soil, and what plants will grow in it after you cultivate it together.

PH: Is Your Local Soil Too Acidic or Too Alkaline?

Most plants, flowers and trees prefer a soil that is nutrient-rich and around six or seven on the PH scale, meaning slightly more than middle-of-the-road acidic. However, a few plants and flowers, such as the azalea, grow better in much more acidic soil, around four or five on the PH scale. There are kits you can buy that will help you determine if the soil in your yard is just right for most plants, or if a particular kind of fertilizer will help bring your soil in line with the correct PH level.

Balancing out the PH in Your Soil

Fertilizer companies create fertilizers that balance out the acidity or alkalinity of your soil. For example, if your soil is not alkaline enough and is too acidic to grow anything but azaleas, then you can purchase a fertilizer with added ammonia that not only balances out the PH level, but also adds more nitrogen to the soil. Additionally, it helps the soil retain nitrogen, which is vital to growing just about everything from trees to vegetables. If you have already tested out your soil for its current PH level, you will have an easier time selecting the correct fertilizer for your gardening needs.

Using a Cultivator to Blend Your Soil and Fertilizer 

Finally, before you get all excited about putting flowers in your yard, remember that it is easier to add fertilizer to your soil and blend with a cultivator before you plant. Adding fertilizer after the fact means that your plants and flowers have to wait for the nutrients in the fertilizer to seep into the surrounding soil and then enter their root systems. Using a tiller/cultivator ahead of time puts those nutrients into the soil and balances the PH almost immediately. If you want your plants and flowers to have a good head start during the transplant (seed pods or pots to ground) process, till the fertilizer into the soil first. Contact a fertilizer supply company like T And N Inc for additional information.


Share