Understanding Your Soil

Most gardeners struggle with their soil, which is ‘a work in progress’ with too much sand or clay, low fertility, poor drainage, or is too acid or alkaline for most garden plants.

This isn’t reason to throw in the trowel, however. You can improve whatever soil conditions you have by applying organic matter to your garden. And if soil improvement isn’t something you want to invest a great deal of time and labour in, there are many garden plants that will thrive in whatever soil conditions you have.

Defining pH

Let’s begin with soil acidity or alkalinity, also known as its pH value. The pH scale goes from 0-14, with 7 being neutral. Ratings lower than 7 are acidic, and those higher than 7 are alkaline. Most garden plants perform best in soil that is near neutral (pH 6.0-6.9) with some wiggle room for slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soil. Interestingly, acid soils are usually found in regions with high annual rainfall, while alkaline soils tend to be found in more arid areas.

Extreme Soil

Even in a fertile garden, if the soil is too acid or too alkaline, most plants will not take up the nutrients they need for good growth and development. Yellowing or pale leaves with darker green veins, stunted growth, and an overall failure to thrive are all signs that your soil may need some pH adjustment.

Soil Testing

A soil test will diagnose your soil’s pH. Tests can either be done by a local government or commercial lab, or administered from a home kit. With this diagnosis you can set about amending your soil or your plantings.

Annual Alternative

If you do not feel ready to take on amending the soil pH value in your garden, some well-chosen annuals can be a very attractive alternative. As their name suggests, annual flowering plants germinate, grow, flower and die within the span of one growing season. They tend to be highly adaptable to soil pH, so are a good workaround solution for any type of garden soil problem.

Container Alternative

If you have your heart set on growing a rhododendron, a hydrangea or a bed of heather in your alkaline soil, consider using containers for these and other plants that prefer neutral to slightly acid soil.

Most commercial potting mixes are slightly acidic or neutral, so they suit the vast majority of plants. You can also amend the soil in a container, in even a large one, far easier than you can a permanent garden bed simply by adding organic matter or peat moss to the mixture.

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