Testing your soil

Soil-testing kits available and by and large they do a very good job of accurately testing your soil. Try:, Swimming Pools and Spas, Bonsai Shaping However, if you are only interested in knowing if your soil Also consider:, Lawns from Stolons, Feeding House Plantsis acid or otherwise, without worrying about degrees of acidity or alkalinity, here is a simple test you could make.

First, buy a packet of blue Try:, Pruning Standard Roses, Finding and Selecting Roseslitmus papers from your chemist. Next, using a trowel, take samples of soil Also consider:, Architects in Architects in Washington, Seed Propagationfrom different sections of the area you wish to test. Mix well together.

Then add sufficient of this soil Consider also:, Care of lawns in shaded areas, Fertilizing Houseplantsto fill a breakfast cup and pour boiling water And:, Preparing your lawn - Levelling, Clematisover it to form a sticky mass. Then, using a knife, make a slit in the soil Also consider:, How to Make Compost, Gel Candlesan inch or so deep and insert a litmus paper for about three parts of its length. Make sure that both sides of the litmus paper are making contact with the soil Consider also:, Will lime break up clayey ?, flora22and allow it to remain there for 15 minutes. After that time remove the paper.

If it has turned red your soil More interesting articles:, Feeding House Plants, Lawn Spriggingis acid. If the paper is only faintly red the soil More interesting articles:, flora18, Prinicples of a Japanese Gardenis only slightly acid, but if it turns very red your soil More interesting articles:, Potted Roses, Acclimatising House Plantsis very acid.

What's Inside

Light and House Plants - Light can be supplemented by artificial lights, especially by fluorescent tubes only half a metre or so above the plants. This works well for foliage plants but to make flower buds, the red rays of incandescent globes are needed. Too many of these too clo... more

Will lime break up clayey soil? - Although many soils benefit by the application of lime, lime will not alter the structure of the soil to any extent. Better results could be achieved by applying generous applications of stable and cow manure or compost and coarse sand. Turn these in no d... more

Caring for Newly Sown Lawn - Don't make the mistake of sprinkling it daily; but if the upper inch or so of soil becomes obviously dry, then water it freely with a fine sprinkler adjusted so that it will not wash the surface soil away. Once the seed has started to germinate, the young... more

Miniature Roses - Miniature roses range from 8 to 20 in. high. The tiny individual blooms are often replicas of hybrid teas. The foliage is also proportionately smaller. They are excellent for edgings of beds of floribundas or hybrid teas, as well as for window boxes or ro... more

Bonsai Containers - The bonsai container is always selected to complement the mood and colour of the bonsai. It must help to present the tree and never detract from it. There are traditional colours that are used with certain species. Muted earth colours such as darker reds,... more

Propagating Cactus by Cuttings - The best time to take cuttings is early spring. Once the cutting has rooted pot up in the usual way. Another way to obtain offsets is to temporarily deform a plant by beheading it. This forces the plant to produce offsets around the edge of the cutting.... more

Repotting Houseplants - Frequent repotting of house plants is unnecessary, and generally plants placed in containers 5 in. or larger in diameter can stay in the same pots for 12 to 18 months. Most kinds will thrive in pots that appear too small for them, and many that have fille... more

Pruning Newly Planted Roses - Make fresh cuts wherever long stubs have been left above nodes or dormant buds. Less pruning is required by climbing and shrub roses. because the original stems will be pruned off at the base one to two years after planting to make space for the new growt... more

Types of Roses - Roses come in so many types, plant sizes and forms that an entire landscape planting could be made from them alone. The best way to judge roses is to see them growing. Many public gardens_ botanical gardens and parks make a feature of rose collections. In... more