Soil Acidity In Acid

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pH is the measure of how acidic or basic a substance is. Soil acidity or alkalinity is important because it influences how easily plants can take up nutrients from the soil. pH stands for “potenz Hydrogen” where “potenz” meaning “the potential to be”. The degree of activity of hydrogen ions in solution determines the acidity or alkalinity of the solution. Acidic solutions have a high concentration of hydrogen ions; alkaline solutions have a low concentration.
Plant roots absorb nutrients in order to be sustained. The mineral nutrients include nitrogen and iron when they are dissolved in water. If the soil solution is too acidic or basic, some nutrients will not dissolve easily. This means they will not be available for uptake by roots and plants will be deprived of them.
The scale of pH levels range from 0 to 14. 7 is a neutral value while pH values that exceed 7 are alkaline. If the reading is under 7, the solution is acidic (Doran, 2011). Most nutrients that plants need can dissolve easily when the pH level of the soil ranges from 6.0 to 7.5. Some nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, are less available below a pH of 6.0. Iron, manganese, and phosphorus are less available when a pH level exceeds 7.5.
Most garden plants grow well in slightly acid to neutral soil. This means the pH levels will range from 6.0 to 7.0. If soil is too acid, adding an alkaline material can neutralize it. This is a process commonly called liming. The most common liming material is ground limestone. If soil is too basic, adding a source of acidity will be beneficial. The most common material to add is powdered elemental sulphur. This is vital information as I will need to alter the acidity levels in my experiment to obtain the correct p...

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