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Gave up my fancy soil pH meter for a simple vinegar test and never looked back
I used to drop $40 on digital meters that always drifted after a few months, but now I just scoop a little dirt in a bowl, pour white vinegar over it, and if it fizzes I know my soil is too alkaline - has anyone else ditched their gadgets for a kitchen sink method?
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phoenix33119d ago
Yeah I get the appeal of the vinegar trick, my neighbor swears by it for his tomatoes. But I've had a different experience honestly. I tried that method a few years back and got no fizzing at all, then a proper test showed my soil was actually pretty acidic. The vinegar test only catches really alkaline soils, it won't tell you if you're slightly alkaline or if you need to add lime. Plus if your soil is dry or has low calcium carbonate it won't react even if it's basic. I mean for a quick check it's fine, but I wouldn't ditch a meter completely if you're serious about growing picky stuff like blueberries or azaleas.
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loganl2216d ago
Dude, @the_jamie's buddy probably had other issues too but yeah, I've seen this pattern everywhere honestly. It's like when people test their car battery with just a click sound and assume it's fine, but really the voltage is borderline and dies the next cold morning. Or checking if your drinking water is clean just by looking at it. The vinegar thing is one of those shortcuts that gives you a false sense of certainty. It's like using a tape measure for your height when you need to know everything from your inseam to your wingspan. Quick tests are okay for ballpark guesses but the problem is people stop there and never dig deeper.
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