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Getting the right PHPosted on December 11, 2012by EddieS
One of the most important considerations in growing plants is
getting the right PH. PH stands
for, Probable Hydrogen. !now what yo" are thin!ing, #$h. %ow it
all ma!es sense. Probable
Hydrogen, yeah&'
f the significance of that escapes yo", (ll e)plain more f"lly.
PH is *ital, whether yo" are
growing in soil or hydroponics. f the PH is too high or too low,
the plant loses its ability to
absorb n"trients thro"gh the roots.
$ PH of + is considered PHne"tral. $nything from +.1 to 1- is
al!aline. $nything from ./ to 1 is
considered acidic.
$nything o"tside of a plant(s acceptable range will create what
is called, n"trient loc!"p. "st
thin! of it as if the "nbalanced PH has loc!ed the roots from
being able to ac"ire the n"trients
in the soil or in the hydroponic sol"tion.
any n"trient deficiencies are the res"lt of poor PH. 3he
symptoms the plant e)hibits indicates
a lac! of n"trition, b"t the act"al problem co"ld be that the
plant cannot get the a*ailable
n"trients into its roots. 4o" can ha*e perfect lighting,
perfectly balanced n"trition, and still ha*e
n"trient deficient plants. 5hat(s more, plants can e*en ha*e
symptoms that wo"ld normally
indicate a specific deficiency in one n"trient, b"t the act"al
problem is that the PH is pre*enting
the plant from absorbing that mineral. Or the symptoms can
indicate to)icity from an o*er
ab"ndance of one n"trient, b"t the problem is that the plant can
only absorb that mineral, b"t
not the other n"trients.
Different n"trients re"ire slightly different PH le*els in order
to be absorbed. 3his is why some
plants thri*e in acidic soil, while others re"ire al!aline soil.
6loc!ing o"t certain n"trients helps
some plants, while others need more balanced n"trition. Here is
a chart that might help e)plain
http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/getting-the-right-ph/http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/getting-the-right-ph/http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/author/eddieadminwp/http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/author/eddieadminwp/http://suburbanvegetablegardening.com/getting-the-right-ph/
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this better.
$s yo" can see, plants that need higher nitrogen, phosphoro"s,
potassi"m, s"lph"r, calci"m,
and magnesi"m need a higher PH. Plants that need to absorb more
iron, manganese, boron,
copper, and 7inc need a lower PH. 6elow is a chart of common
*egetable plants and the PH
needed for optimal growth.
Plant Recommended PH
Asparagus 6.0-8.0
Beets 6.0-8.0
Broccoli 6.0 6.5
