Understanding pH and Its Role in Soil Nutrition

Soil pH is one of the most overlooked factors in crop nutrition — but it plays a crucial role in how well plants can access nutrients.

pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline your soil is, on a scale from 0 to 14. Most crops do best in the 6.0 to 7.5 range, where nutrient availability is highest.

If your soil is too acidic (low pH), key nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium become harder for plants to absorb. Too alkaline (high pH), and you run into deficiencies in iron, manganese, and zinc.

Even if you’re applying the right fertilizers, an imbalanced pH can lock nutrients away. That means wasted product, poor growth, and reduced yields.

Correcting soil pH starts with a proper soil test. From there, you can take action:

• Lime helps raise pH in acidic soils

• Gypsum can improve structure without raising pH too much

• Acidifiers or sulfur can lower pH in alkaline soils

• 
  

At Tsama-Agric, we emphasize balanced nutrition — and that begins with balanced pH. Our advisors can help you assess your soil and recommend steps to get it crop-ready.

Because the first step to unlocking your soil’s potential… is understanding it.