pH Testing

Along with understanding the importance of proper soil content, the pH of the soil is just as important. It is what makes lemons sour and keeps cucumbers from tasting like vinegar. pH determines color and size as well as taste.

Back home, my city had a group made up of high school students. One of their projects was to make a community garden. It failed. It failed because they didn't understand the importance of pH in the soil; thus, they mixed all of their crops into one square and the plants fought each other.

To ensure this doesn't happen, FSC ENACTUS will be teaching pH testing in their lessons. Of course, they will do so with an entertaining experiment. Students will try to find the pH of typical household items such as tomato and lemon juice, hair conditioner, and dish soap. They will determine whether each item is a base or an acid. Then they will be able to plot the items in order from most acidic to most basic.

This experiment will be transferable to the garden when they test the soil's pH and add fertilizers to make the pH suitable for the plants they choose. This will result in a more bountiful harvest.

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