March outside and check your soil!

March is a perfect time to perform a soil test. This should give you an idea about your soil’s nutrient make up and pH levels. Having this information should help you to determine if your new plants will be able to thrive in that environment or not. The soil pH level is important because it affects the availability of nutrients in the soil. Plants often do best if the soil’s pH level is between a 6-7.5 on the 0-14 point scale.

Between 6-7.5 is when the most nutrients are available for your garden. If your testing reveals the earth to be to anywhere between 7.5-14 that means you are dealing with alkaline dirt, which can be addressed using a few different products, including elemental sulfur, aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate, acidifying nitrogen, and organic mulches.

However, if you realize that you are encountering the opposite problem and your pH levels land more between 0-6, they can be raised by incorporating limestone, hydrated lime, or wood ash into the ground. Keeping up with the nutrition of your topsoil will give your yard a much better chance of flourishing this year!