Garden soil can be acidic or alkaline - how do you tell them apart?

Anyone who has grown flowers and green plants probably knows that soil can be acidic or alkaline. In China, most of the northern regions have alkaline soil, while most of the southern regions have acidic soil, and different plants are suited to different levels of acidity and alkalinity. If the soil is wrong, it will also hinder the growth of flowers and green plants! But most of us may not know which plants suit acidic soil and which suit alkaline soil, and we also do not know how to distinguish the acidity or alkalinity of soil, so today the editors of Youju Network will answer these questions one by one for everyone.

1. How do you identify the acidity or alkalinity of soil?

1. Look at where the soil comes from. In nature, the humus soil of mountain hollows is acidic soil; the leaf mold of forest areas is acidic or slightly acidic; grass peat soil and peat soil are acidic soil.

2. Look at the color and crumb structure of the soil. Slightly acidic soil is generally black, brown, brownish black, or yellow-red; alkaline soil is mostly grayish white or yellowish white. Acidic soil has more crumb structure, while alkaline soil has little or no crumb structure and is mostly sandy.

3. Look at the plants growing in the soil. In areas where plants such as beans, sugar beet, sorghum, cotton, pear, and grape are grown, the soil is generally neutral or on the alkaline side; soil where wheat, sweet potato, and the like grow abundantly is mostly on the alkaline side.

4. Look at the condition after watering. If the soil is compacted, dries quickly after watering, and has a layer of white powdery substance on the surface, and if white bubbles or foam appear when watering, it is mostly alkaline soil. If after watering the soil is loose and soft, or even immediately seeps out cloudy water, it is mostly acidic soil.

5. By feel: acidic soil has a "loose and soft" feeling when held in the hand, and after you let go, the soil easily falls apart and does not clump easily, with strong air and water permeability; alkaline soil is hard in texture and easily compacts into lumps. Alkaline soil has a "hard and solid" feeling when held in the hand, and after you let go it easily clumps and does not fall apart, with poor air and water permeability.

6. Test with pH paper: take part of the soil sample and soak it in cool boiled water, dip part of the test paper into the soaking liquid, then take it out and observe the color change, then compare the test paper with the color chart. If the pH value = 7, the soil is neutral; if the pH value < 7, it is acidic; if the pH value > 7, it is alkaline.

2. What flowers are suitable for growing in acidic soil and alkaline soil respectively?

Because plants originate from different places, their needs for and adaptability to acidity and alkalinity differ greatly. The vast majority of potted flower species are suited to neutral to slightly acidic (pH 5.5-7.0) soil. Flowers can be divided into the following categories according to their adaptation to soil acidity and alkalinity:

1. Acid-tolerant flowers: (pH 4-5) azalea, hydrangea, gardenia, coleus, purple spiderwort, ferns, orchid family plants, etc.

2. Flowers suitable for weakly acidic soil: (pH 5-6) begonia, amaryllis, cyclamen, camellia, jasmine, Aglaia odorata, Michelia figo, five-needle pine, palm family plants, primrose, gloxinia, Michelia alba, osmanthus, etc.

3. Flowers suitable for neutral to slightly acidic soil: (pH 6-7) chrysanthemum, asparagus fern, asparagus, poinsettia, Chinese rose, fuchsia, clivia, narcissus, calceolaria, Chaenomeles speciosa, etc.

4. Flowers suitable for neutral to slightly alkaline soil: (pH 7-8) rose, dianthus, geranium, winter jasmine, boxwood, nandina, flowering almond, sabina, hibiscus, pomegranate, grape, wisteria, cactus family, sweet pea, sea lavender, etc.

3. How do you change the acidity or alkalinity of soil?

1. When the soil is too acidic, you can mix an appropriate amount of lime powder or plant ash into the flower pot.

2. When the soil is too alkaline, you can often water it with diluted water of ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate, which can increase the acidity of the soil.

---------I am the gorgeous dividing line---------

Brand-name home decoration and building materials from 30% off across the board, get 100 yuan off immediately when you order, do not regret it if you miss it!

To learn more, please follow the official WeChat of Tencent Home Furnishing · Youju Network [Youju Life](WeChat ID: youju2099)！