Potential Hydrogen and Acidity

Potential hydrogen, more often known as pH, is the measure of the acid levels of a solution and is represented by a number one through fourteen. If the pH of a substance is six or below it is considered an acid, but if a substance is measured to be eight or above it is considered basic, meaning it has a lesser acidic value. (Willi Evans) Hydrogen is the element that starts the formation of acids in soil. Therefore, the higher potential hydrogen level, the more acidic the soil is. (Rachel Lovejoy)

As indicated by the numeric pH scale, the typical pH of soil is between 6.0 and 6.8. However, every plant requires a different soil pH to grow properly. Additionally, plants grown in extreme pHs could potentially exhibit traits such as: gaps in nutrient availability, improper balance, poor development, and the presence of highly concentrated minerals that are harmful to plants. (Rachel Lovejoy)

Based on the common effects of solutions with high acid levels, the plants’ growths are expected to increase and decrease due to the level of pH in the soil they are grown in. Most common garden plants will grow well in neutral to slightly acidic soil. (Organic Gardening) Radishes will be the experimental plant for this test. Radishes prefer soil well drained, loose, high in organic matter, free from stones, and a pH from 5.8 to 6.8(Cornell University). According to this, the radishes in this experiment are expected to have an increased growth in the soils that have a lower pH measure.

In addition to affecting how nutrients are distributed throughout growing plants, pH levels also influence microorganism activity that adds to the decomposition of organic materials. A pH that is either too high or too low may also interfere with the effective...

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...llzation. (NCBI) The form of Phosphorous and availability is too highly pH dependent. Potassium tends to get enclosed in certain areas under clay layers. Surprisingly an increased pH does not reduce the levels of Potassium available. Sulfur is too little affected by the soils pH. The micronutrients, which are Manganese, Iron, Copper, Zinc, and Boron all, tend to decrease with a higher soil pH. (Koranski)

The soil is one of the most important components for a plant to grow well. Even the most minor changes in acidity can drastically change how it grows. There are plants that are adapted for this and ones that are not. Some household cleaners can also be toxic to the plants, while they are used in fertilizers. The soil is extremely fine tuned and super specific to different types of plants. One small change can determine if the plant will grow, or ultimately not.