There’s no place better to start reducing pesticide use in your community than in your own garden or yard. Testing your soil is the first step to ending the use of harmful pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Most us of are not taught to test our soil. We put product down based on manufacture’s recommendations – and it doesn’t occur to us to think any differently. The appropriate way to fertilize grass is to take an initial soil test. The soil test will tell us what is going on in the soil and what we might need to do to correctly balance it for the best health of the grass and the life in the soils.
1. Pour 2 cups of distilled water into a saucepan.
2. Cut up and add 1 cup of red cabbage to the saucepan
3. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for approximately 30 minutes
4. Strain the water which should be a purple/blue color and have a neutral ph.
5. Mix soil and cabbage water and wait for the water to settle.
If the water turns pink, your solid is acidic. If it turns blue, it is alkaline, and if it stays purple/blue color it is neutral, which is ideal for your lawn and many plants.
+ If your soil is acidic, adding lime or wood ash will help raise its ph.
– If your soil is alkaline, adding compost can help reduce ph.
