Soil acidificationis necessary mainly in the cultivation of acidophilic plants such as blueberry, conifers, azaleas and rhododendrons, magnolias and heathers. The soil must always be acidified before planting such plants, but thenacidifying fertilizers should be usedduring their cultivation, in order to maintain the acidic pH of the soil. Seehow to properly perform soil acidificationin the garden, andacidification of the soilto get the effect quickly and at the same time long-lasting!
Acidification of soil for American blueberry
Fig. © Joanna Białowąs
When is soil acidification necessary?
Before we move on to the selection ofsoil acidification preparations , it is worth making sure that acidification of the soil in our garden is necessary. First, we should measure the pH of the soil using an available pH-meter (or acid meter). Soils with a pH above 7.2 are considered alkaline and for most crops it will be necessary toacidify the soil to lower its pHto a neutral level, i.e. to keep it in the pH range of 6.6-7 , 2.
It is also worth getting acquainted with the requirements of plants that you intend to grow in a given place. Well,many popular garden plants require acidic or even very acidic soilsIn this case, even if the measurement shows that the soil is slightly acidic, i.e. pH 5.6-6.5, it may be necessary to acidify it even more.
Here areexamples of popular acidophilic plantsand recommended soil pH values:
- azalea and rhododendron: pH 4-5
- blueberry: pH 3.5-4.5
- hydrangea: pH 4.5-5.5
- magnolia: pH 5-6
- Japanese skim: pH 3.5-4.5
- common heather: pH 4-5.5
- heaths: pH 4-4.5
- cranberry: pH 3.2-4.5
So if it turns out that the reaction of the soil is higher than that required by our plants,it will be necessary to acidify the garden soil .
With what to acidify the earth?
The soil in the garden should be acidified first of all before planting acidophilic plants. For this purpose, we can use numerousnatural methods of acidifying the earth , i.e. use acidic soil for planting plants bought in a garden shop, acidic high peat (mixed with garden soil in a ratio of 1: 1 or dressing the holes directly under the planted plants), as well as slightly less known methods such asmixing soil with needles or conifer sawdust
By mixing acid peat with soil, we will immediately obtain an acidic substrate(but the effect will be short-lived, unfortunately), and in the case of sawdust and needles, the pH of the soil will slowly decrease as the material used decomposes. For the best effectiveness, it is worth using acidic soil or peat together, which will acidify the substrate immediately, and, for example, coniferous sawdust, thanks to which the acidic pH of the soil will persist for a long time.
However, garden soil has the property that it returns to its original pH over time. Therefore, even if we have strongly acidified the soil before planting plants, it will be necessary to further acidify it in orderto maintain the acidic pH of the substrateAcidifying fertilizers will be helpful, which will enrich the garden soil with the necessary for plants minerals.
Target and SUBSTRAL acidifying fertilizers
Fig. press materials
Acidifying fertilizers include:
Ammonium sulphate- it is a highly acidifying fertilizer with the fastest effect among sulphate fertilizers. In addition to acidification, it also enriches the soil with nitrogen and sulfur. As nitrogen fertilizer, we can only use it before sowing (i.e. in spring, just before sowing seeds) or as top dressing (i.e. for fertilizing already growing plants). However, it is not suitable for use in autumn when preparing the soil for spring sowing or planting, because during the winter nitrogen will be washed out into the lower parts of the soil. Approximatedosage of ammonium sulphate for acidophilic plants(conifers, blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons) is 30g / m², this dose is divided into two portions - half is given in the spring just before the start of vegetation, and the second half at the beginning of June.
Potassium sulphate and magnesium sulphate- these fertilizers, apart from the acidification of the soil, enrich it with sulfur and - respectively - with potassium and magnesium.
Good to know!
It is good to use all 3 types of sulphate fertilizers listed here simultaneously to obtain the effect of complete fertilization (enrichment of the soil with both nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium). However, their exact dosage should be determined on the basis of soil testing and the fertilization needs of individual garden plants.
Dusty or granulated sulfur- it is used by mixing it with the top layer of soil. However, you have to wait a long time for the acidification effect, because sulfur in this form dissolves very slowly in water.
Ready-made acidifying fertilizers- these are acidifying fertilizers for specific groups of plants available in garden stores. Most often we find here an acidifying fertilizer for blueberries or a more universal acidifying fertilizer for acidophilic plants, which can be successfully used both for blueberries, rhododendrons and conifers. These fertilizers are composed in such a way that, apart from the acidification of the soil, they also guarantee the effect of proper fertilization of garden plants.They are used in accordance with the instructions on the packaging of the given fertilizer.
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