Thanks for sharing this advice with us. Quite a lot of people seem to misunderstand the importance of soil at times. I'm sure this will help a lot of them. Thanks again
I recently tested my soil. Glad this article popped back up... now I understand about my pH findings. Thanks Sjoerd for explaining it in a easy to understand way.
Sjoerd--I really like your post as well. You have explained the mysteries of pH well. I have a couple of questions for you: You say "***It is worth knowing that if you add manure and some lime compound at the same time, quite a bit of the nitrogen could be released into the air." Do you have a simple way of explaining this? Is it some kind of chemical reaction? Should I apply the two a week apart as a result? Second question: acidic mulches (pine needles, etc) can lower alkalinity. Compost can lower acidity. Do I have to be careful of what the compost is made of (ie, pine needles)?
