Question

Luke and Sian want to plant a vegetable garden in their yard. A soil testing kit measures the soil pH at 5.0, but the lettuce they want to plant does best at a pH of 6.5. Should they add an acid or a base to the soil to make it the optimum pH for growing lettuce?

Answer 1

So, Luke and Sian has to increase the pH of the soil by adding base to it.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration in their aqueous solution.

`pH=-\log[H^+]`

• With increase in hydrogen ion concentration the pH value decreases.
• With decrease in hydrogen ion concentration the pH value increases.

The pH of the soil after testing it on a kit comes out be 5.0, but they both need pH of the soil to 6.5.

Comparison of pH of soil:

= 5.0 < 6.5

= High hydrogen ion concentration > High hydrogen ion concentration

So, Luke and Sian has to increase the pH of the soil by adding base .Doing so will decrease the hydrogen ion concentration in the soil (where as addition of acid lower the pH of soil).