Fruit Trees & Acidic Soil

Fruit trees have specific pH requirements.

No store-bought fruit can match the satisfaction of a crop grown right in your backyard. Before you plant fruit trees, take a variety of factors into consideration. One of the most important is pH, which measures the acidity or alkalinity of soil.

pH Levels

Soil pH is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. A pH between 6.6 and 7.3 is neutral; anything lower is acidic and anything higher is alkaline. Highly acidic or highly alkaline soil can cause a variety of problems in fruit trees.

Fruit Trees

Most fruit trees, including apple, pear, peach and cherry trees, prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil, with an ideal range between 6.0 and 6.5. Citrus trees can tolerate more alkaline soils, growing well in soil that has a pH between 6.0 and 8.0. Blueberries are a notable exception, preferring acidic soil with a pH around 5.0.

Altering pH

If you have highly acidic soil, you can raise the pH by adding crushed limestone, which is highly alkaline, to the soil to neutralize the acid. Wood ash and finely ground oyster or egg shells are common alternatives to limestone. Lowering pH can be achieved by applying nitrogen fertilizer or elemental sulphur.

References

• University of Tennessee: Fertilizing and Liming Fruit Trees
• Texas A&M University: Home Fruit Production - Apples
• Texas A&M University: Home Fruit Production - Citrus
• Virginia Tech: Tree Fruit in the Home Garden