Does anyone know about Litmus paper?

Does anyone know how to test soil PH with litmus paper? Would seem to be cheaper way than buying lots of tester kits from garden centres..Just stick it in the soil? Or mix soil with water?? Thanx, BS

 

If you're really sure about this...

http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa012803a.htm

best of luck

 

Bunslip, a testkit for the PH level should only cost about �£1 from your local garden centre.

 

Burnslip. Its a long time since my school days, and things may have changed since. But Litmus paper was either red for acid ie low pH (you would need to add a little water to the soil) or blue for alkali high pH. But it wasn't graded, ie you couldn't easily read the pH, it was either one or the other and it changed at pH7. More useful was Universal indicator paper which was a mixure of several differant indicators, including Litmus, and gave a graduated colour according to the pH - so you could more easily read a number from it. However these days they may mix other things to Litmus and still call it Litmus.

I would agree with David, and use a special test kit designed for the garden. Though I have never used a kit myself as I have a meter.

Do remember to test it in several places. If you just tested one spot, which was abnormally high or low for whatever reason - you could mislead yourself.

 

With a test kit, Peter, you take samples from 5 areas of the garden, ie, the four corners and the centre. You mix this soil together and test it. You then have the average PH of the garden.

 

It is my understanding that although pH7 is neutral in a chemical sense. Neutral in gardens is pH6.5. pH7 would be a wee bit alkaline.

Thanks David. I have passed by the soil test kits, but never looked at them, as when I started gardening I was given a pH meter (which also measures nutrient level as well) as a Christmas present. But I must admit that having tested the garden, bags of compost and anything else I could think of initially, I have never used it since.

 

(Let's see if I can murder this thread!!)

The only thing I remember about litmus paper was using it as a student nurse to test urines!

 

You'd have to mix the soil with water, though as others have said, UI paper would be more useful. I work in the science dept. of a school, so have put together my own kit with UI liquid and test tubes

 

Peter I used to have a meter, but I found that it gave different readings depending on the moisture content.

 

So did I, never use it now, infact as far as growing most plants all you really need is an indication, not an exact reading, I think.

 

Yes, and a cheap PH testkit will give you that.

 

That's interesting David - I am not surprised. I have no idea how it works - and I never fully trust things if I don't know how they work.

Mine needs a battery, and switches between pH and soil fertility. But I suspect the fertility bit just measures resistance. When I short the twin probes with a piece of wire it tells me the wire is extreemly fertile and doesn't need feeding for weeks. :D

 

PeterS..

 

I bet that came as a bit of a "shock", Peter. :D

 

Thanks guys, lots of good feedback. I think Ill check out the UI paper- sounds exciting, Ill check out the price comparison too and let you all know.