How Do I determine whether my soil is acidic or not . And what about more specific PH values ? Is there a inexpensive home-grown way of doing this ? Maybe through observation ? If not iwhat are the standard methods used ?

I need to know how much Lime/dolomite I need to add or what type of compost ( acidic or not) is good for my plants , hence the question.

help a wannabe gardener.

Hi, FANMAN123!

One way to find out these things would be to click on the following search and reading the information on sites that you'll find on the search.

Determining Soil Acidity PH - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Determining+Soil+Acidity+PH)

Some gardening centers and hardware stores do sell kits that will help you to test your soil.

If you're in the U.S. most, if not all states have extension services where people can send in samples of their soil to be tested. Where I live, I can send in a sample; have it tested and get a print-out back as to exactly what I might need to amend to my soil in order to make it the best for growing certain types of things.

In the U.S. there are also Master Gardeners that will advise people for free!

One thing that I like to do at home on my own, is to use a large, tall jar with a lid on it. I fill it about half-way with a sample of the soil and the other half with water. I shake the mixture up a lot. When it settles, I'll be able to see an approximation of the composition of my soil as indicated by how it settles.

Hopefully, others will also be along to address your question.

Thanks!

Hi, FANMAN123!

One way to find out these things would be to click on the following search and reading the information on sites that you'll find on the search.

Determining Soil Acidity PH - Google Search (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Determining+Soil+Acidity+PH)

Some gardening centers and hardware stores do sell kits that will help you to test your soil.

If you're in the U.S., most, if not all states have extension services where people can send in samples of their soil to be tested. Where I live, I can send in a sample; have it tested and get a print-out back as to exactly what I might need to amend to my soil in order to make it the best for growing certain types of things.

In the U.S., there are also Master Gardeners that will advise people for free!

One thing that I like to do at home on my own, is to use a large, tall jar with a lid on it. I fill it about half-way with a sample of the soil and the other half with water. I shake the mixture up a lot. When it settles, I'll be able to see an approximation of the composition of my soil as indicated by how it settles.

Hopefully, others will also be along to address your question.

Thanks!

Thanks for the tips Clough. I am from Australia. I wonder if these great facilities you mention are available in Aus. What exactly are you looking for when you do the "shake the jar" manouevre ? Could I have a bit more detail on how "the way it settles" relates to the "soil composition" - or could you point me to a web site that can tell me ?