Garden chemistry and soil testing

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jacob
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Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by jacob »

How would you test soil pH if you weren't allowed to "buy a kit" ... nor are you allowed to "watch what thrives under certain acidity conditions".

All you get are commonly sourced household chemicals. So?

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Ego
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Ego »

Surly someone in your neighborhood has a swimming pool. Borrow their tester.

Alternatively....
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/make-y ... st-soil-ph

Freedom_2018
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Freedom_2018 »

Couldn't you just add vinegar or baking soda soon to a soil sample to get alkaline vs acidic soil.

Not sure how exact PH would be measured. Isn't ph a measure of h plus ions or something like that?

Freedom_2018
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Freedom_2018 »

Ha..i guess you could also try and vomit on the soil..stomach acid is hcl:)

Toska2
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Toska2 »

"Generally speaking, acidic soil, with a pH lower than 6.0, yields blue or lavender-blue hydrangea blooms. Alkaline soil, with a pH above 7.0, promotes pinks and reds. With a pH between 6 and 7, the blooms turn purple or bluish-pink. To lower your pH, add garden sulfur or aluminum sulfate to your soil."

Plant one and be done.


"
Make your own pH indicator solution! Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes colors according to the acidity of the solution. Red cabbage juice indicator is easy to make, exhibits a wide range of colors, and can be used to make your own pH paper strips."

I d

Toska2
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Toska2 »

Curry Powder
Curry contains the pigment curcumin, which changes from yellow at pH 7.4 to red at pH 8.6.

Geraniums contain the anthocyanin pelargonin, which changes from orange-red in an acidic solution to blue in a basic solution.

Morning Glories
Morning glories contain a pigment named 'heavenly blue anthocyanin' which changes from purplish-red at pH 6.6 to blue at pH 7.7.

7Wannabe5
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Mix it with some warm milk and observe whether or not it curdles?

Run water through the soil in a drip coffee maker and taste the results?

Borrow some ejaculate from a male friend, mix it with the soil, and observe the death rate of the sperm with a microscope?

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Sclass
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by Sclass »

Taste it. If you really want to go Spartan.

I actually saw an ag chemist do this in the field when he didn't have ph paper.

I was just a kid but it was pretty shocking watching a grown man "eat" dirt. He quickly rinsed his mouth with water of course.

The guy then suggested we deal with our alkaline soil with some amelioration that I cannot recall.

vezkor
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by vezkor »

7Wannabe5 wrote: Borrow some ejaculate from a male friend, mix it with the soil, and observe the death rate of the sperm with a microscope?
:lol: +1

enigmaT120
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Re: Garden chemistry and soil testing

Post by enigmaT120 »

Are there actually charts relating ambient pH with rate of sperm death? No way I'm Googling that one.

Why couldn't Jacob use his own? Shooting blanks like me?

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