Every plant has a preference about its ideal growing conditions, and putting a plant in the right spot will I mean the difference between it thriving or merely surviving. Certain plants prefer to grow in soils that are higher or lower in acidity than others, while some cannot tolerate acidity at all.
Know Your Soil
Avoid expensive mistakes by choosing a plant that is suitable for the soil where it is to be grown. The best way to ascertain the soil pH level is to buy a testing kit, because the levels do vary considerably within even local areas, depending on where the topsoil was brought in from, or what the underlying rock is.
The pH of the soil is influenced by the underlying bedrock, the amount of rainfall, the rate of drainage and also nearby vegetation such as pine trees (which produce acid foliage).
Soil Structure
The soil in which the plants are to grow is a collection of minerals and organic matter (humus) which will be expected to support the plant throughout its life. To be able to do this, they usually need a little bit of help in the form of organic matter and fertilizer.
Soil consists of sand, silt, clay and humus, and the proportions in which each is present will determine the structure of the soil - its consistency and water-retaining properties. The more large sand particles it contains, the more easily water will drain through it and the more quickly it will warm up in spring, allowing earlier planting. Silt particles are smaller, so water is held for longer, but they retain little in the way of nutrients. Clay particles are smallest of all; they hold on to nutrients and water extremely well, but produce a heavy, solid soil that is cold (slow to warm up in spring, because the water has to warm up as well as the particles), and prone to damage if it is worked when it is too wet.
The ideal soil to have is a loam, which contains a perfect balance ' of all the elements, producing a crumbly soil, often dark in color, which holds both moisture and nutrients well, without becoming water-logged. Unfortunately, this is rare, and most gardens have a soil that favors one particle size over the others and so needs help in the form of added organic matter to make it easier to work. This can take the form of well-rotted manure or compost (soil mix). Organic matter adds air to a solid soil and keeps moisture for longer in a free-draining one.
How to Test the Soil pH
1. Take a sample of soil from the area to be tested from about 10cm (4in) under the soil surface. To get a representative sample from the whole garden, take at least five small samples from all over the plot. Mix them together thoroughly in a screw-top jar
2. Thoroughly mix the soil and indicator chemicals, according to the instructions on the pack.
3. Add liquid to the soil/chemical mixture in the container and shake it vigorously.
Sources:
Home and Garden Directory
http://www.allconstructiondirectory.com/home-garden/
http://www.homeimprovementdir.org/home-garden/
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