results a detailed soil test will give
Soil pH is a measure of soil acidity or alkalinity and can affect availability of essential soil nutrients to your plants. Your soil is acidic if the pH is lower than 7, a neutral soil has a pH of 7. If your soil has a pH above 7 it is basic or alkaline. Follow the test recommendations concerning adjustment of pH. If your soil is alkaline you can add sulfur to lower the pH. You should add lime if your soil is too acidic. Add lime only as recommended by your soil test results. Organic matter in the soil changes continually. How much organic matter you have in your soil depends on rainfall, temperature, aeration, and many other factors. It takes a lot of compost, manure, peat moss or mulch to make small changes in percentage of organic matter in the soil. Typically good soil contains 2 to 10% organic matter.