How to Raise Soil pH

Are your plants struggling to grow in your yard despite nice loose soil? You may need to adjust the pH level in your soil. Below we'll focus on how to raise soil pH.

pH levels generally run from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic or alkali) Neutral is 7 which is what pure water registers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hydrated lime
• Soil pH testing kit

1. 
   pH test meter

   You'll need a soil testing kit. There are two basic kinds and both are relatively inexpensive (usually under $20) One is a capsule that will change the color of a soil & water mixture that is then viewed against a color coded chart. The other is a fully reusable probe with a simple to read meter at the top.

2. If you live in areas with high amounts of rainfall and relatively old plant life you very well may have acidic soil conditions. While most plants prefer a slightly acidic soil of 6-6.5 pH much lower levels can damage the plants and make it hard for them to absorb nutrients.
   
   It is important to test the soil before adding anything to it so you can add the proper amount so you don't raise the pH levels too high.

3. 
   Hydrated Lime

   Typically the most widely used product to raise soil pH is to add hydrated lime into your soil. Add roughly 1 ounce per square yard of planting area if you have sandy type soil or roughly 4 ounces if the soil is more of a loam or clay. This will raise the pH by roughly 1.0 on the pH scale.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow the lime to breakdown around your plants for a few weeks before testing the pH again to ensure an acurate reading
• Although most lime from a home and garden store is pretty safe use some common sense when handling it and storing it. Keep it away from pets and kids.