Soil pH Explained: Why Checking It Matters More Than You Think

Soil pH affects everything—from plant growth to stock health.
But many farmers don’t realise how dramatic the impacts are… or how to test for it properly. In this episode, we dive into the fundamentals of soil pH, how it works, and how to measure it right on your farm.

Using basic tools (and a pocket knife), we explore what happens as acidity increases, what pH means on a log scale, and how acid or alkaline trends at different depths impact your productivity. We also show how to sample correctly, why most farmers get it wrong, and how to use a multi-indicator soil pH test kit tailored for Australian soils.

🌱 This is the first video in a new pH series — make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss the next step: how to correct pH drift.

🎥 Related videos & resources:
🔗 Understanding Soil Erosion Through Ground Cover
🔗 Fixing Revegetation with Grazing Animals
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🧪 Soil pH Kits from Inoculo Laboratories: https://inoculo.com.au/

📍 Filmed in Australia | Featuring Phil Mulvey

#SoilHealth #RegenerativeAgriculture #FarmLearning #SoilTesting #phmatters

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00:00 Why Soil pH Is More Important Than You Think
00:41 What Is pH? (And Why It’s Logarithmic)
01:30 Real-World pH Scale: Lemon Juice to Concrete
02:58 How pH Impacts Soil Health and Plant Growth
03:28 How to Correctly Sample Soil for pH Testing
04:30 Common Sampling Mistakes Farmers Make
05:20 Choosing the Right pH Test Kit for Australian Soils
06:24 How to Use the Kit Step-by-Step
08:00 Comparing Surface vs Subsoil pH Results
09:15 Understanding Acid and Alkaline Trending
10:00 What’s Next: Correcting pH Issues (Next Video)