Acidic Potting Soil

Sometimes there could be too much aluminum in the soil making it acidic.

Acidic potting soil. We perform a soil test on every batch of soil that we hand make here at the nursery. As organic matter breaks down whether in your yard or in the forest the ground in or under which this decomposition is taking place naturally tends to acidify. Our acidic potting soil is great for all your acid loving plants such as azaleas japanese flowering magnolias camellias gardenias and loropetalum that like their soil ph a bit lower. The acid loving plants that you can grow in acidic soil include.

For example a soil with a ph between 4 5 and 5 0 is classified as strongly acidic. It is not recommended to use this mix on blueberries due to the content of redwood sawdust. This is why many woodland plants such as the native north american ground cover bunchberry cornus canadensis prefer acidic soil. Acidic soil has a ph lower than 7 0.

If the number is around 7 such 6 7 or 7 4 you can consider your soil more in the neutral range. This will acidify the soil for about two years. When preparing your soil for planting place four to six inches of acidic peat moss on your topsoil and till it into a depth of six inches. The closer the number is to 14 the more alkaline the soil is.

Some of the best potting soils contain fertilizer but if yours doesn t it s easy to add. The closer the number gets to 0 the more acidic the soil is. Miracle gro performance organics 6 quart organic potting soil mix. Most potting soils are a combination of pine bark peat moss perlite and vermiculite.

In nature acidic soil is the norm in many places including in most wooded areas. Ph is the indication of how alkaline or acidic your soil is. Some of the most common and sought after plants actually prefer acidic soil even though many of them may be grown in a wide range of growing conditions. Most are sterilized to kill microorganisms that might cause plant diseases.

What types of plants grow in acidic soil. Effect of acid soils on plant growth. If the soil is too acidic it can be because of a calcium and magnesium deficiency which is just as bad for plants as it is for humans. Sometimes there is too much manganese which is toxic to plants.

Plants that need acidic soil. This acidic soil mix has a ph level lower than 7 0 on the ph scale. Potting soil isn t actually soil because it doesn t have any humus and minerals. Acid lovers planting mix creates the perfect soil conditions for acid loving plants.

Home gardens often do not have the type of soil acid loving plants need.