Soil Toxicity

Soil pH is the most important value on a soil report. Soil pH is the measure of the hydrogen ion activity or concentration in the soil solution. Soil solution is the water contained in your soil. Soil water exists as films of water around soil particles or aggregates. Roots grow in this soil solution and take up nutrients from these layers of water around the soils particles. Soil pH or rather the pH of the soil water determines the solubility and therefore the availability of nutrients found in soil water. pH also has a profound effect on soil microbiology and alters the nutrient cycling that takes place based on the biological activity. Soil pH is expressed on a scale from 0 to 14. At pH 7 the soil has a neutral reaction. At a pH value below 7 the soil is acidic and soils above pH 7 the soil is basic. Most plants grow well in a pH range from 6.5 to 7.5 because in this range most of the essential nutrients have good solubility in soil solution. The only exception is acid loving plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries that require a more acidic environment and grow well at pH of 5.0

read the complete article on: http://www.seedbuzz.com/knowledge-center/article/soil-toxicity