Unlocking the Secrets of Soil pH: A Key to Thriving Crops

Glen Rabenberg, founder and CEO of Soil Works, LLC, helps explain why having an understanding of the pH balance of the soil beneath our feet is crucial for growers and farmers striving for optimal yields and sustainable agriculture. Discover why soil pH matters and how it influences nutrient availability, microbial activity, and overall soil health.
For more information and resources, visit www.soilworksllc.com or call us at 605.260.0784.
Glen's Tools (penetrometer, EC Meter, BRIX Refractometer): www.soilworksllc.com/home-too...

[@randalmoroski1184]

Professor at the University of KZbin! Thank you!

[@janlabuschagne4759]

Ek self werk al 30 jaar met die natuur en dus dir een ding wat ons sé ,sit koolstof terug . Baie dankie vir die een ,dit help om die boodskap uit te kan dra.

[@Yotaciv]

I try to add molasses to my nutrients regime, especially on nitrogen heavy crops. Sure seems to help make organic fertilizers work faster. My favourite inoculent is 4 parts oat meal, 2 parts fresh worm compost, 2 parts wheat bran mix in with a drizzle of molasses. Leave it in a dark warm place for a week. Boom your soil will darken and have life again, nutrients will cycle. 1gallon covers 1000sq ft.

[@JoeN-S]

Great video. Love the down to earth approach by which you present some complex topics.

[@TRZM53]

A brilliant video! Informative!

[@jameskarokola6226]

Great presentation Sir! I now understand what is soil pH philosophy.

[@maddog2228]

🇬🇧 great information thanks mate 👍

[@michaelfoort2592]

Very well presented

[@albongo3949]

Amazing info

[@dr.leppsbiology1282]

The problem is that most municipal water sources are working against you. Most municipal water is a bicarbonate buffered system (like the ocean) with a pH of around 8.0. So you are constantly adding bicarbonate to the soil in addition to things like trihalomethane and chloramines.

[@ThePoseidon-Projects]

You are right in your comment. Municipal watering systems add nutrients with a high nitrogen and phosphorous content because they support plant growth and it is necessary. But if you find a natural source and supply that helps the soil and its pH to move towards a natural ecological balance, then you do not need to apply bicarbonate regularly. That nature-based material exists.

[@traviss6500]

Great presentation.

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Thank you kindly!

[@MargaritoMoquiala]

Nice presentation ,from Philippines

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Thanks! 😃

[@dnawormcastings]

Great video 🇳🇿❤️

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Thank you! 😃

[@TheDonsRiche]

So what would you recommend for growing blueberries in a native soil that isn't between 4.5-5.5? Make sure it's well oxygenated?

[@ducrebatiste7967]

Does amending with sand help any in the this process?

[@scottpulver4920]

Southern Ohio dirt is 5.4-5.8 and a high magnesium….solution? Fertilizer? Great job!! Thanks in advance.🙏🏻🇺🇸🙏🏻

[@w1.0]

I wish my soil ph was 7.0 cause it was ph 4.8! Got it up to ph 6.0 now!!!

[@kurt2272]

Thanks I get it now !

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Great!

[@grahamstevenson6417]

Great video thanks Glen. We have reasonable calcium (65-75)% but relatively high Potassium (15%) and low exchangeable hydrogen soil's (

[@paulbraga4460]

very high K in your field and may be displacing the calcium. what is your pH? K is 2 times more effective in raising pH than calcium. magnesium, 1.6 times more than calcium. sodium, 4 times more. in the end though, tis not the pH. tis the ratio of minerals to each other. in the Albrecht system, K should occupy only 2-5% of base saturation. Glen's company has 2 calcium products with different functions - one to sort of break up tightness of soils mostly due to high magnesium and the other for the present calcium needs of the plant...blessings

[@grahamstevenson6417]

Thanks for the feedback Paul. Our pH is around 6-6.5. which is not too bad I would have thought. We haven't kept it up in recent years but we did a lot of liming here in the name of Albrecht but could still never get that K to budge. We don't have K in our fert anymore, but it's still crazy high everywhere we go. I am curious if we need more exchangeable hydrogen to kick the calcium off the carbonate to get some action perhaps. Despite all the liming we still see a lot of weeds and disease etc. It's a real head scratcher

[@paulbraga4460]

@@grahamstevenson6417 wow! what a curious state of soil! tested with a penetrometer? you don't have to have one. just any steel rod will do - if it slides down easy or resists and would not go in except for forceful push down. how's the biology of your soil? microbes i mean. have you tried to push the microbial function with perhaps the Johnson-Su compost extract. Glen mentions their calcium product which aerates the soil a pound of which covers acres - i forget the rate. could help but of course do this after you have considered all the factors...

[@grahamstevenson6417]

Thanks Paul. I am trying to get a hold of one to have another look. Typically the tilled cropping paddocks with stay loose enough for the season, down to the plow layer at least. But these will crust immediately after rain. Will see some holes from biology during the fall winter months, but as soon as the sun comes out in spring they run away. Pastures will ultimately settle and hardset like concrete ( which is a potassium thing I believe) after a couple of years. The loamy hard setting nature of these soil mean they tend not to swell and crack like clays do I guess. I gather the air would soon be mostly cut off. Gave "EM" microbes a go for 6 years , but nothing. From watching Glen's video's I now understand our 8-10:1 C:N ratio is not helping there. Wish I knew that gem earlier. Would love to try some of Glen's brews, but not sure they have then here in Australia. Glen maybe may enjoy a trip to Australia for a look? I'll put the kettle on hey? Really appreciate the feedback Paul 👍. I hope you are kicking goals with it all.

[@paulbraga4460]

@@grahamstevenson6417 👌may your effort bear fruit. find Bryan Mcleod here in youtube - Soil Mineral Balancing, guest in a video by Soil Learning Center. expert from New Zealand, been all over the world, i believe even here in the Philippines. decades of experience which one may need with your mind-bender. he has a consulting firm - proag consulting...blessings😇

[@timberwolf9363]

At min 5:52, you meant Carbon, not Calcium, right?

[@erwinbrubacker7488]

My soil ph is around 5.

[@sergeidominiquepantejo9773]

Where, how can we buy of your product sir ? We are from the Philippines

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Thank you for your interest! Unfortunately we aren't exporting products to the Philippines at this time. Feel free to check back with us in the future.

[@blagoeres]

What about blueberries, is it true they can't grow in 6 to 7 PH and need very acidic soil ?

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Blueberries do like a lower pH soil.

[@blagoeres]

@@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium too bad, my PH is 6.5. I would love to grow them, but I am not keen to use peat, sulfur, or sulfate fertilizers to lover my PH.

[@frankenz66]

​@@blagoeresComposted Oak and pine leaves and a lot of them. It is how wild blueberries or huckleberries grow in non peat bog areas. What is your beef with sulfur? You can research on youtube how to make fertilizers from fermented grass.

[@blagoeres]

@@frankenz66 we use sulfur as a fungicide on grapevines. So my guess is that it will damage fungi in the soil also.

[@crabtrap]

​@@blagoeres we grow blueberries in 7pH soil, zero chemicals, old depleted reclaimed farm plot. We get a good yeild.

[@Bennfarming]

What if you have massive calcium levels in your soil locking everything up?

[@SoilWorksLLC-GSRCalcium]

Work on increasing soluble carbon in your soils. The soluble carbon will stimulate the soil microbiology and help increase nutrient cycling within the soil.

[@Bennfarming]

Would stripper front and no till disc seeding and full stubble retention gain us soluble carbon ? We are currently heading down that path

[@mirandaaldrich9616]

In the Panhadle the soil is acidic...Like 4.6 to 5.0 if I'm Lucky. I'll meet someone and trade a few tons and mix them and see if that works? I'm SERIOUS

[@warriorson7979]

Florida panhandle or Oklahoma panhandle...?🤔

[@mirandaaldrich9616]

@@warriorson7979 Flawda lol

[@warriorson7979]

@@mirandaaldrich9616 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panhandle

[@backyardgrillmaster2910]

That's what I thought you didn't get to the point this is my first video I've seen of him within 45 seconds into the video I knew he was selling something because he wasn't telling you what to do until the end when he points to the boxes in the back and that's what he wants you to buy yeah no thank you like I didn't know this already but I don't need a sales pitch on every little thing just show me what I need to do and how to do it but oh yeah by the way by my product

[@huntera123]

Do you work for free?

[@crabtrap]

My first time watching too BUT, his math us correct. Sry there is no 'just tell me what to do!' Soil is complex and diverse. But micro orgs are the foundation.

[@wewantmoreboomboom8313]

This description of pH is depressingly wrong

[@MIRSTROY]

Why so?

[@grahamhart2723]

Soil biology is the answer, stop dissing regenerative agriculture, all you want to do is sell your products.

[@billybudz]

Would it be accurate to say 16 to 1 "organic carbon compounds to nitrogen, aids in soil respiration and fertility? I understand biochar being pure carbon (mostly) is inert at normal soil temperatures.💯✌️🦚