Organic Gardening is Nature's Way to Grow Plants

Garden Organically for the Benefit of People, Plants and Wildlife

Dec 29, 2009
David Haigh

Garden Lime Raises the pH of the Soil - David Haigh

When chemicals and inorganic fertilizers were used by most gardeners the pioneers of organic gardening were often considered to be cranks, but fortunately not any more.

These days more people are gardening in a manner which brings greater benefits for people, plants and wildlife.

Over reliance on inorganic fertilizers brings high yields in the early years, but unless we care for the soil over the long term we do great damage to the world's most valuable resource.

Improve the Soil Fertility and Grow stronger Healthier Plants

The underlying principle of organic gardening states that we should feed the soil rather than the plant.
So build up the fertility of the soil by applying organic matter in the form of compost, leaf-mould and farmyard manure.
A soil enriched with these humus-forming materials will be teaming with wildlife ranging from the amazing but humble earthworm to microscopic fungi and bacteria.
The soil is a hive of industry with each organism playing an integral part in the much bigger picture.
Such soils have no need for the quick fix, fast-food, chemical fertilizers so over-used in the past.

The Importance of the Soil pH to Healthy Plant Growth

When all the component parts of the soil are working together in harmony it behaves like a well conducted orchestra with every instrument in tune and all the players keeping perfect time. Just as an orchestra relies on a good conductor our soils need a controlling influence and this is where soil acidity or alkalinity comes in. Known as the soil pH , the vast majority of our plants thrive when the soil is slightly acid to neutral, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0. Affordable testing kits and electric probes for checking the pH of the soil are readily available in garden centres The pH of the soil controls the availability to plants of all the nutrients present in the soil, and the right pH means that the plant roots are able to extract from the soil all the food they need in the optimum amounts, in other words they get a balanced whole-food diet.

So What can be Done to Change the pH?

An acidic soil is easily made more alkaline by the application of garden lime.
Its application, however, does not have an immediate impact, but its effects will be noticed in several months to a year's time.
A soil which is too alkaline presents a much more difficult problem.
Regular use of organic matter like farmyard manure, in itself acidic will lower the pH, but only slightly.
These alkaline soils are totally unsuitable for acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons, heathers and camellias, so don't fly in the face of nature. It's much better to admire them in other peoples' gardens.

Act Now to Improve Your Soil and Reap the Rewards

So if you raise the fertility of your soil with organic matter, which incidentally has a tremendously beneficial effect on the soil structure by improving aeration, drainage and root penetration, whilst at the same time striving for the ideal pH, you will grow the healthiest plants you have ever grown.

David Haigh - David Haigh is a 'Master of Horticulture', a qualification awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society. He spent almost 40 years as a ...