Understanding soil nutrients and pH is key to a thriving garden. Learn how to pick the right fertilizer for your plants.

Soil pH or soil reaction is an indication of the acidity or alkalinity of soil and is measured in pH units. Soil pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The pH scale ...

A new scientific paper from Teagasc has shown that getting soil pH right through a liming program can significantly reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a potent greenhouse gas. The paper from ...

Worldwide, many agricultural soils are deficient in the nutrient zinc—despite the fact that farmers use fertilizers enriched with the element. This limits crop yields and reduces food quality. It's ...

Small changes in pH levels can affect how well plants are able to reproduce and take up nutrients. These changes can also alter how exposed they are to soluble pollutants such as aluminum. Some plants ...

Purdue Extension Educators frequently encourage homeowners to get soil tests when they want to grow new plants in an area, or try to diagnose what’s wrong with plants currently growing. One key ...

Test the soil before you buy another bag of lawn feed. A lawn sitting at pH 5.0 can be fed four times a year and still look ...

To grow good plants, you need good soil. The only way to tell what your soil really needs is to take a soil test. Applying too much fertilizer could be detrimental to your plants. You could waste ...