Ph soil testing - help

[veggiechicken]

As an experiment - and because I happen to have 3 different PH meters I've tested them side by side in 3 different places in the garden.
Just to confuse you, the brown Rapitest meter has the acid/alkaline position at the opposite ends to the green Gardman ones
Photo 1 - a bucket of bought compost that had grown tomatoes


2. ground where bracken grows and I would expect to be acidic


3. an active molehill under trees


What does this prove? All the readings are around the 6 - 7 mark, with a tendency towards the topend of the 6s.
The Molehill soil is slightly more acidic than the bracken area, which has about the same borderline acid/alkaline reading as the bought compost.
The really confusing thing is that camellias grow very well here - and they are supposed to prefer acid soil with a PH of 4.5 - 5.5.

To be honest, apart from as a general indicator, I don't think they're all that meaningful. I do have one of those chemical testing kits too, but every time I find it, I really can't be bothered to use it.

[marchogaeth]

So what do your meters say if you put them in vinegar or a caustic soda solution? And don't say "ouch"!

[veggiechicken]

I just knew you'd ask that Sorry the pics are not very clear, it was all a bit precariously balanced
Sitting in half an inch of Sarson's malt vinegar

Definite lean towards acid

[Snadger]

Diversify and prosper. Bung all sorts in the ground the first year and see what grows well. If what you WANT to grow doesn't grow well change the locale where its growing by liming or adding manure or using acidifying mulches etc
I have found the chemical analysis is more accurate than the meters but neither is as accurate as asking your allotment neighbour what does well on his plot!

[veggiechicken]

I'd just like to say thank you to veggie chicken who went out in the rain yesterday and took lots of photos to demonstrate how a soil testing probe works and whether or not it is effective - and she did this in an attempt to keep this thread on topic as she knows how easy it is to be accused of tangentisation..............Here are a few full stops for you to insert where ever you think appropriate..........

[mothhawk]

Was it acid rain?.....

[captainhastings]

my metre gave reading of 7 every where so I thought it wasn't working. I plonked it in my compost heap and it showed 4 so I guess it does work

[vegboi]

What is or was growing in your soil? Any particular weeds?

It had potatoes auntum raspberries and lots of bind weed


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[vegboi]

Thank you all so so much x


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[Kristen]

So what do your meters say if you put them in vinegar or a caustic soda solution?

I don't think they measure pH in a way that means they will work in an acid solution? Blowed if I can remember the physics involved though ...

[21up]

So we are not actually any wiser or nearer to what to do
apart from put what you want in and see what grows (hopefully) everything

Problem solved ?

[fishpond]

So we are not actually any wiser or nearer to what to do
apart from put what you want in and see what grows (hopefully) everything

Problem solved ?

Certainly seems to be the case.

[Kristen]

So we are not actually any wiser or nearer to what to do

The testube kits work reliably enough for me. Only issue I have is trying to match the muddy colour! "accurately" against the little colour chart.

[21up]

The testube kits work reliably enough for me. Only issue I have is trying to match the muddy colour! "accurately" against the little colour chart.

EXACTLY that was my problem last year i have not used it since .
Imight try it on my new plot and hopefully it will not look muddy but i will not hold my breath

[Martin H]

I'd like to know the pH of my plot so that I could put the right amount of lime on my brassica beds. But I've found the test kits to be hopelessly approximate. I already know my soil is on the acid side because the potatoes are clean and the brassicas struggle.

I'm going to try them with a handful of lime per square metre this season and see how it goes.