Acidic Soil For Potted Plants

Have you ever heard the term “Acidic Soil” for potted plants before? If you have not, you should start paying more attention to what you are putting into your soil. What exactly is acidic soil for potted plants and how can it affect your plants? You probably have not given much thought to the condition of the soil in your yard and I think this needs to change.

Factors Need to be Present in Soil

Plants need moisture, nutrients, air, sunlight, and proper drainage in order to grow and thrive. The soil that your plants are growing in has to be of a certain pH level. It also must have some amount of nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, and calcium. These all contribute to the proper growth and development of the plants. Without these things, there will be no hardy plants in your garden or in your lawn. If your soil has too much of one of these elements and it becomes too acidic, your plants will become stressed and may die.

Testing the Nature of Soil

One of the best ways to make sure that your soil is healthy is by adding a small amount of bleach, baking soda, or wood ash to it every time you do a complete weed cleanses of the area. Wood ash or bleach is great for removing the excess elements like weeds and dead grass from your soil. Both of these ingredients are necessary for good root development and hardiness. Hardiness is what makes plants grow and prosper. If your soil is not hardy, it will not survive the rigors of a normal lawn.

Chemicals for Safe Soil

There are chemicals that you can buy for your soil that are technically called “non-chlorine soil in stabilizers”. There is another chemical called boron that is a safe soil pH blocker. Both of these are more effective than chlorine and baking soda, but they do cost more. In addition, if you use non-chlorine compounds, your plants may develop a tolerance to them, making it necessary to frequently add the chemicals to achieve proper pH levels in your soil.

Prevention of Soil from Excessive Acid Level

The most effective way to prevent soil destruction due to excessive acid levels is to not apply any fertilizers at all until the pH levels in your soil are restored. Many people think that fertilizing their plants when they are young, when the leaves are beginning to grow, is not harmful and that they will not be able to notice any adverse effects. But when you take a closer look, you will notice that many of the nutrients that are necessary for plant growth, especially the nitrogen compounds, are only available when the plants have already developed.

Needs of Plants During Development

During the developmental stages of plants, many of the nutrients needed to help them grow, are unavailable. Nitrogen, for example, is only available from adult plants when they are about two to four inches long. As the plants grow older, the quantities of nitrogen decrease. In addition, phosphorus also becomes scarcer as plants mature. By increasing the availability of these nutrients, fertilizers can become even more valuable to gardeners, helping to ensure that their garden is a healthy one.

Use of Fertilizers

Lawn owners commonly give fertilizers to their lawns and gardens, but most people do not realize how much impact these products have on our environment. One common fertilizer, lysine, was recently banned in several European countries because it was said to be responsible for the decline in the salmon population in those areas. Another popular lawn fertilizer ingredient, sodium nitrate, has been associated with the formation of premature aging of the human brain, resulting in dementia and other diseases. While it is true that large amounts of these chemicals are needed to make your lawn and garden look good, they should only be used in moderation, and to a limited extent.

Use of Traditional Compost Pile

In order to ensure that you do not unintentionally damage the quality of the soil in your garden by using chemical fertilizers, you should learn how to compost. A traditional compost pile made from kitchen scraps such as vegetable peelings, eggshells, or cardboard waste provides rich, dark, and nutrient-rich material that is ideal for growing plants. You can even start a compost pile right in your kitchen!