Procedure with Output

Steps to test the soil using pH paper:

• Rub your hands with a small handful of soil to clean off anything on your hands that might affect the soil.

• Take a small handful of soil and wet it thoroughly with distilled water. You could also use a plastic lid to mix the soil with distilled water.

• Touch the test strip to the water and soil mixture and wait for the color to change.

• Compare the color to the color chart that comes with strips. Take the reading from the area that is closer to the soil rather than further away from where the water wicks up to.

Here is a video with a detailed closeup of someone doing a pH test using pH test strips.