The Biosphere Blog

Having read about Soil Properties, why not get out and assess (some of) your own? The following experiments are easy to do and will really help you understand your soil! Soil pH This is a fundamental test everyone should do. You’ll need to buy a… more »

Soil properties of most interest to gardeners and horticulturalists are colour, texture, mineral content, structure, and chemistry. Each of these could be lengthy posts in their own right (and maybe they will be, later!), but the following overviews… more »

A Definition of Soil Soil makes up the pedosphere layer on Earth and is easy enough to recognise. Unless you’ve studied it though, it’s actually quite hard to articulate what it is you’re recognising. So what exactly is ‘soil’? Soils… more »

Last week’s post examined the chemistry behind pH, where we saw how pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+). High concentrations of ions create an acidic environment, and the measured pH has a value below 7. Low concentrations… more »

Most people have a vague concept of pH in that it has something to do with acidity and alkalinity, but what exactly is pH and why is it written the way it is? This post will answer those questions by focusing on the chemistry behind pH. Knowing the… more »

As we only see what’s above the ground, it’s understandable that what’s beneath the ground is literally out of sight and out of mind! Yet what is (or isn’t) beneath the ground is just as crucial to your tree’s health as… more »