test your soil pH without expensive pH meters

[kitejuana]

Hey guys this is for those who dont afford buying expensive pH meters in order to test their soil pH but want to have a succesful growth well here is what you need

1 red cabbage, distilled water.

step 1: heat the distilled water until it boils
step 2: chop the red cabbage and place some pieces of it to the boiling distilled water, wait until it soaks (~10mins), then remove the solid pieces. Now you have created a violet hued juice with a neutral pH of 7.
step 3: pour some cabbage juice into a clean cup then take some of your soil (2 teaspoons should be fine) and add it into the cup. Wait for half an hour and check the color of your solution.

If the violet turns out pink, then your soil is acidic. The more acidic the soil is, the pink will be brighter.

If the violet turns out blue or green, then your soil is alkaline. The more alkaline the soil is, the green will be brighter.

So you want the color of the solution to be violet/dark pink (as the soil pH needs to be around 6-7).

 

[vostok]

In most free economies the red cabbage would cost more than the swim pool strips you can find in any drug store for under $5.00.
Besides why would you want to test for the potential of hydrogen in composted soils anyway ...as many will tell you it impossible, as the soil itself acts as a buffer between the rootzone and nute! ..even the runoff is just that.... wasted water

 

[FromHolland]

There are enough pH meters within the range of 50 - 100 euro.

 

[bootea]

Thanks for the tip kitejuana. I actually eat red cabbage. Didn't realize I was throwing out a ph test kit with the left over water I cooked it in. I'll definitely give it a try.

 

[paper thorn]

soak some coffee filters in the cabbage juice and when they dry, cut them into strips and dip a strip into any solution to find the pH. look on a search engine to find the color of different pH readings.

 

[stoned-trout]

that would be tough ..whenever I have cabbage in water I have the urge to add corned beef...lol never heard this before thanks..

 

[Mr Roboto]

that would be tough ..whenever I have cabbage in water I have the urge to add corned beef...lol never heard this before thanks..

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

Cool idea.. might work in a pinch. I guess everybody will be growing a PH meter in the garden now. .

Meh.. I just got a digital PH meter for 15 bucks .. new.

 

[mia_reddog]

soak some coffee filters in the cabbage juice and when they dry, cut them into strips and dip a strip into any solution to find the pH. look on a search engine to find the color of different pH readings.

Cool idea!

 

[topshelf_sac]

The whole idea of soil is that you don't need to check the ph. You might as well go hydro and gets the faster growth rates if you're that worried.

I've grown in peat based mixes for years and never worry about ph, especially of the actual soil which buffers Ph anyways.