Ph soil testing - help

[vegboi]

Hi all I brought this kit and my soil is the top line on this chart high amount of everything - I have no idea what this means - do I have good soul or not if not what do I do? Thanks Mark


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[Martin H]

Was the ph the top one, dark green, 8.0 as well?

[zazen999]

You used too much of the indicator?

[rustylady]

Chuck it away and look at your soil.

Is it sandy, clay, light or dark in colour?

[Bill HH]

Get a meter, arounf £5 om Amazon.

[Two_Sheds]

look at the plants that are growing on the soil already, esp. weeds. That will give you a good indication of what soil you have.

Blueberries, azaleas, and rhododendrons prefer a more acid soil. Hydrangeas will be pink on an alkaline soil, and blue in acidic soil. Spuds grown in alkaline soil are fairly likely to get scab (mine do, badly).

Soil Types And Weeds - How To Tell Which Soil You Have By The Weeds

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[marchogaeth]

You used too much of the indicator?

I'd be suspicious of your result, too. I don't know the kit but what exactly did you have to do to get the results?

[vegboi]

I'd be suspicious of your result, too. I don't know the kit but what exactly did you have to do to get the results?

I placed some soil in a tube and filled it with the solution and it went a dark green colour as on chart


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[vegboi]

Chuck it away and look at your soil.

Is it sandy, clay, light or dark in colour?

It's dark and clumpy soil I guess


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[rustylady]

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

[Four Seasons]

I placed some soil in a tube and filled it with the solution and it went a dark green colour as on chart


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It means that your soil is alkaline at the top end of the scale and that you do not need to add lime to it. Your potatoes will probably be a bit scabby with the high lime content but everything else that likes lime should do well. Don't try and grow blueberries in it though.
Edited because I don't know how it could test for the other minerals.

[rustylady]

Seems like everyone gets an Alkaline reading with the B & Q kit pH Testing Our Soil

[marchogaeth]

I placed some soil in a tube and filled it with the solution and it went a dark green colour as on chart

Seems like everyone gets an Alkaline reading with the B & Q kit pH Testing Our Soil

It looks like you have paid out for some type of litmus solution. If you have any solution left try adding some vinegar and see if it actually shows up as acid.

I don't think your test tells you very much (anything) about your nutrient levels and I'm always very suspicious of having coloured material (your soil) in anything that is assessed by a colour change. For pH you are better off with pH paper pressed on moist soil (using de ionised water if it needs moistening) or a meter, I guess although I don't know how accurate they are.

Edit: just checked out the prices for lab pH meters (accurate), cheapest comes in at about £40!

As has been said above you are better off looking at your soil and working out what it's sand/loam/clay properties are and at what is currently growing in it.

[Two_Sheds]

In other words it's healthy and you do not need to add anything to it.

like most of our soils then, yet beginners are often told they have to add packets of this & bottles of that, tons of horsemuck ....

Your potatoes will probably be a bit scabby

My spuds are terribly scabby, it's really offputting. I get round it by growing my spuds in leafmould, and they come out lovely & clean

[zazen999]

I placed some soil in a tube and filled it with the solution and it went a dark green colour as on chart


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Did you dry it out and crumble it up? As mentioned, you need to check against something acid to see if it is reading correctly, and also dry the soil out and crush before putting in the tube.