Poor soil can inhibit plant growth in a number of ways. If it has too high a clay content, it will compact easily, drain poorly, prevent air from getting to the roots, and dry into hard clumps. If it's too sandy, it will drain too quickly, erode easily and have difficulty holding nutrients for the plants to use. Good soil strikes a balance between these two extremes. When you pick up a handful, it feels moist and loose without falling through your fingers, has a fresh, clean smell, and a rich dark colour. Soil ph LevelsAcidity or alkalinity in the soil is measured by pH values, on a scale of 1 (most acid) to 14 (most alkaline) with a level of 7 considered "neutral" Each level is ten times more or less than the next, ie. 5 is a ten times more acidic than 6 and 100 x more acidic than 7. A pH level of 8 is ten times more alkaline than 7, and so on. The pH level influences the availability of nutrients for you plants, and the type of plants you can grow. For example, azaleas and rhododendrons like a lot of iron, a micronutrient that becomes less available to plants as soil alkalinity increases. These plants prefer a more acid soil, where iron is freely available...otherwise, their leaves become yellow between the viens. Unavailability of many other nutrients can have widely ranging, but equally damaging effects. Most plants will grow well in a pH range of 6.5 to 7.2, where nutrients are readily available to them and this is a good area to strive for. But to start, it helps to know what your present soil pH value is.
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