effect of
pH on
growth
plants
? How?
Answers
If you have an area in your yard that doesn’t seem to respond to your fertilizing efforts, check your soil pH.
Soil pH is the measure of acidity (sourness) or alkalinity (sweetness) of a soil. The pH scale goes from 0.0 to 14.0. The most acid soil is 0.0 and the most alkaline is 14.0. Halfway along the scale, 7.0, is neutral, neither acid nor alkaline. A soil gets more acid as the pH values decrease from 7.0 to 0.0 and is more alkaline as pH values increase from 7.0 to 14.0.
For example lemon juice is 2.4 pH value or acid; water is 7.0 or neutral; soap solution is 9.3 or alkaline.
Soil pH can affect plant growth in several ways. Bacteria that change and release nitrogen from organic matter and some fertilizers operate best in the pH range of 5.5 to 7.0 making this the optimum pH range. Plant nutrients leach from the soil much faster at pH values below 5.5 than from soils within the 5.5 to 7.0 range. In some mineral soils aluminum can be dissolved at pH levels below 5.0 becoming toxic to plant growth. Soil pH may also affect the availability of plant nutrients. Nutrients are most available to plants in the optimum 5.5 to 7.0 range. PH can also affect the structure of the soil, especially in clay soils. In the optimum range clay soils are granular and easy to work with. However, if the soil is either extremely acid or alkaline clay, soils tend to become sticky and hard to cultivate.
A pH soil test will tell you whether your soil is within the optimum range or whether it will need to be treated to adjust the pH level. Although the optimum range is 5.5 to 7.0 some plants will grow in a more acid soil and some at a more alkaline level.
PH is not an indication of fertility, but it does affect the availability of fertilizer nutrients. The soil may contain adequate nutrients yet plant health may be limited by an unfavorable pH level. On the other hand, builder’s sand, which is devoid of nutrients, may have optimum pH for plant growth.
To correct the pH of or “sweeten” an acid soil (5.5 to 0.0) use lime or dolomite. Lime contains mainly calcium carbonate and dolomite contains both calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Ground limestone and dolomite are less likely to burn plant roots than hydrated lime and is therefore recommended for home use. The greater the amount of organic matter or clay in a soil, the more lime or dolomite required to change a pH level. The best results will be achieved if you incorporate the lime uniformly at least six inches into the soil.
If soil is too alkaline you should determine if it is due to a soil characteristic or lime application. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to change appreciably the pH of naturally alkaline soils by using sulfur, ammonium sulfate, or similar acid forming materials. If this high pH is due to applied lime or dolomite, acid forming materials like sulfur or ammonium sulfate can be applied. To decrease the soil pH use superfine dusting or water soluble sulfur. Repeat applications of sulfur should not be made more often than once every two months because soil sulfur oxidizes and mixes with water to form a strong acid that can burn the plant roots — so use it with caution. It takes approximately 1/3 the amount of sulfur to decrease the pH one unit as it does limestone to raise soil pH one unit. Our soil on Marco Island is mostly alkaline due to the high sand and shell content. Using sulfur coated fertilizers is a helpful practice. These coated fertilizers are the slow release kind which is a more environmentally friendly way to fertilize and it slowly adds some much needed sulfur to you landscape.
Various soil textures are sand, loamy sand, sandy loam and sandy clay loam.
If you aren’t sure which soil texture you have ask for a determination when you have the pH checked at your county extension office.
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Answer:
if the ph of the soil increases then the availability of nutrients to the plants will lessen
ph affects availability of fertilizer nutrients
if the soil ph is below 5.5 the plants can take up nutrients at a very fast rate
ph change can affect bacterial life such as nitrogen fixing bacteria, this will affect nitrogen level in the soil