It’s a safe assumption that most of us don’t know a great deal about chemistry. However, knowing what pH is and why you should measure it is very useful knowledge, especially for those in the farming and agriculture industries.
pH is a measurement of a water-based solution, ranging from 0 to 14. Pure water has a pH of 7. Anything higher than 7 is acidic and lower than 7 is alkaline.
This extract from an article by Anne Marie Helmenstine on About.com explains how the scale works:
What Does pH Stand For?
The pH scale is a logarithmic scale that usually runs from 1 to 14. Each whole pH value below 7 (the pH of pure water) is ten times more acidic than the higher value and each whole pH value above 7 is ten times less acidic than the one below it.
For example, a pH of 3 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 4 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than a pH value of 5.
So, a strong acid may have a pH of 1-2, while a strong base may have a pH of 13-14. A pH near 7 is considered to be neutral.
The level of pH in water affects the health of anything living in or off the water. Rainwater with a pH of around 4 or lower is known as acid rain and is caused by pollution in the air.
This article from USGS.gov explains what happens when water reaches either high or low levels of pH:
pH — Water properties
Excessively high and low pHs can be detrimental for the use of water. High pH causes a bitter taste, water pipes and water-using appliances become encrusted with deposits, and it depresses the effectiveness of the disinfection of chlorine, thereby causing the need for additional chlorine when pH is high. Low-pH water will corrode or dissolve metals and other substances.
Pollution can change a water’s pH, which in turn can harm animals and plants living in the water. For instance, water coming out of an abandoned coal mine can have a pH of 2, which is very acidic and would definitely affect any fish crazy enough to try to live in it!
By using the logarithm scale, this mine-drainage water would be 100,000 times more acidic than neutral water — so stay out of abandoned mines.
pH also affects soil. For the agriculture industry, measuring soil pH can be vital to getting the most from your crops.
Water pH and soil pH affect each other and should be monitored carefully if you want your land to be optimal to growing produce. This article from CropNutrition.com explains why:
Soil pH
The desirable pH range for optimum plant growth varies among crops. While some crops grow best in the 6.0 to 7.0 range, others grow well under slightly acidic conditions. Soil properties that influence the need for and response to lime vary by region. A knowledge of the soil and the crop is important in managing soil pH for the best crop performance.
Soils become acidic when basic elements such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium held by soil colloids are replaced by hydrogen ions. Soils formed under conditions of high annual rainfall are more acidic than are soils formed under more arid conditions.
To get full potential from your water and land, keeping track of and responding to the pH levels are incredibly important. Don’t waste the opportunity to maximise the yield of your crops.
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH
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