Most garden and horticultural plants require a certain level of soil acidity - neutral or slightly alkaline. But in strongly acidic soils, such crops begin to emaciate, develop poorly, and their yields suffer. Therefore, gardeners have to deacidify the soil, to make certain preparations to bring the acidity level to neutral. But there are a number of crops that grow perfectly well only on acidic soils. Let's try to find out how to maintain the right acidity level for these plants and what preparations to use.

How you can determine the acidity of soil

The acidity of soil varies from 1 to 14 units: 1 is very acidic soil, 7 is neutral and 14 is highly alkaline soil.

The easiest way to measure it is with special litmus paper, which can be purchased in specialized stores. But there are other quick ways to test how acidic the soil is in the garden or vegetable garden with the tools you have at hand.

That methods do not give digital readings, but they give you an idea of the pH level.

The main way to check is the Bubnovsky method

There are several simple ways to check soil acidity by the Bubnovsky method:

1. A little soil is poured into a bottle, which has a not wide neck, and up to 5 g of chalk in a paper and put in there. A lapel is stretched over the neck, which should be wrapped with a cotton cloth. Then the bottle should be shaken vigorously for 4-5 minutes. If the liner began to inflate to the end, it means that there is carbon dioxide in the soil, which reacted with the chalk, so the soil is acidified, if the liner puffed up a little, then there is little carbon dioxide, the soil is weakly acidified. If the tippet remains as it was, it means that the soil is neutral.
2. In a glass jar you should put freshly picked cherry leaves (you can take currants) and pour them with boiling water. After such an infusion has cooled, a little soil is added to it. If the tea becomes reddish, the soil is acidic; if it turns blue, the soil is neutral; if it becomes greenish, the soil is slightly acidic.

The plants that liked the particular plot can also tell you the acidity of the soil. Nettles, chamomile, sorrel, sorrel, thistle, abalone and some other grasses that will grow there abundantly will tell you that the soil is very acidic.

What crops grow on acidic soils

If a gardener finds that his plot has very acidic soil, he should not despair. Firstly, it can be acidified, and secondly there are many crops that grow well, bloom abundantly and bear excellent fruit on acidic soils

What to plant in acidic garden soils

If the acidity level of the soil is high enough, any berry bushes can be planted on it and produce high yields every year. All varieties of raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and currants, as well as garden strawberries grow and bear fruit well on such soils. The soils should be slightly acidic.

Но для лесных ягод, that are going to be planted in the garden require a higher acidity value of at least 4-4.5 pH. Blueberries, cranberries and cranberries grow well in soils with this pH.

В In recent decades, blueberries have been increasingly planted in gardens, which is prized by gardeners for its tasty healthy fruit. Remember, however, that this shrub grows well only in soils with high acidity - at least 3.5-4 pH.

It is important when growing such plants to place them away from cultures that prefer neutral or slightly acidic soils so they cannot interfere with each other's development and fruiting during cultivation.

What to plant in acidic soils in flower beds

It is among the flowers that most like acidic soils:

1. Rose bushes - these are the ones that feel best in a slightly acidic environment, where they develop more actively and flower more abundantly.
2. Pion plants also do best in acidic soils where they can grow up to 1.3-1.5 m tall.
3. Ferns like shade and acidic soils. So if there are places where nothing grows because of shady and too acidic soils, you can successfully plant ferns there.
4. Hortensia are very interesting flowers, they grow with equal success in alkaline or acidic soils. However, in an alkaline environment the color of the petals of their flowers will be blue, while in acidic soil the flowers will turn pink.
5. Magnolia in the garden should only be planted in acidic soil, only then will it please gardeners with abundant blooms.

Также other flowers can be planted in a flower bed with acidic soil: Rhododendrons, chrysanthemums, cornflowers, portulaces, forget-me-nots and poppies.

Что planted in the vegetable garden in acidic soils

And only among vegetable crops are the fewest \"lovers\" of acidic substrate. Most vegetables prefer a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. But some vegetables can also be planted in acidic soils:

• Pumpkin plants, tomatoes, carrots can be grown in slightly and moderately acidic soils. If at the same time to provide them with appropriate care, it is possible to obtain high yields;
• potatoes and green crops when growing do not require preliminary liming of acidic soils, as only these vegetable crops can grow on acidic substrates. But in acidic soils can safely live and some harmful insects, such as wireworms. Therefore, a high yield of potatoes grown in acidic soils can be eaten by May beetle larvae, which are unusually voracious.

Хотя vegetable crops, loving acidic soils are few, but when growing them, it is necessary to select such soils in order to get good yields.

Soil acidification

If the soil is not too acidic, you can add special preparations directly into the planting holes before planting. If, however, it is planned to plant an entire garden of acidic-loving crops, then the usual soil should be completely replaced with a special acidified soil mixture.

When planting, for example, rhododendrons, whose roots are close to the ground surface, the planting hole for them should be up to 0.7 m deep and 0.4 m in diameter. In heavy clay soils, such a hole is prepared shallower: up to 0.2 m deep and about 1.0 m in diameter.

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If low heather crops (cranberry, cowberry, bearberry, erica, howlteria) are planted, a hole of 15 cm depth and a soil of acidic soil is sufficient.

When planting any coniferous plants, the size of the planting holes should be 50 cm more than the clod of earth in depth and diameter, and twice the size of the container.

Preparing acidic soil mixture

It is easy to prepare acidic soil mixture for acidic soil-loving plants. To do this, mix 2 parts of non-neutralized top peat with an acidity of about 3 рН, and 1 part each of decomposed pine needles and garden soil. For each cubic meter of such a soil mixture add 10 g of garden sulfur and 100 g of sawdust (fresh). If such substrate is added to heavy clay soils, 1 kg of river sand is added to each cubic meter of soil mixture.

Annual maintenance of soil acidity

The soil becomes acidic for many reasons:

• calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium are washed out;
• a lot of fertilizers are applied to the soil, including those containing nitrogen (urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate);
• soil also becomes acidic because large amounts of needles, sawdust, top peat, bird manure are applied to the soil.

But when plants that like this composition are grown on acidic soils, their roots will remove useful substances, including nitrogen, from the soil. As a result, the soil becomes less acidic, and if gardeners also contribute mineral complexes containing Ca, Mg, K, Na, in large quantities, the soil can become close to neutral.

But such soil mixture is harmful to the development of blueberry, cranberry and other similar plants, so it must be acidified every year.

Chemical preparations for acidifying the soil

The following mineral fertilizers are used to saturate the soil with nitrogen and acidify it accordingly:

• ammonium phosphate;
• urea;
• ammonium sulfate;
• ammonium chloride;
• ammonium nitrate;
• superphosphate.

Но These mineral fertilizers alone may not be enough to maintain soil acidity.

Natural remedies for maintaining soil acidity

A variety of folk remedies can be used to maintain soil acidity. And every dacha owner can always choose the ones he has on hand

Fir Fall or fresh sawdust

These components are usually used as mulch and are applied to plant bedding after watering. The thickness of such layer should be not less than 4-6 cm. These ingredients may be applied several times during the season.

Garden sulfur

Garden sulfur also helps maintain proper soil acidity. This preparation is applied in an amount of 5-10 g to each square of the area.

Acid solution

You can also water the plants under the root with acid water to maintain the soil acidity level, but this procedure must not be done more often than once every 30 days.

For preparing a working solution of 9% vinegar you must dilute 1 tbsp.

When preparing a citric acid solution 5 g of the preparation is used for every 3 liters of water.

Video on how to acidify soil for hydrangea, blueberry, cranberry and other plants

What products are suitable for soil acidification? How to use citric acid and vinegar in the garden to create acidic soil. Can you use battery electrolyte in the garden and vegetable garden to make the soil more acidic. How to use apple fall to acidify the soil without harming your plants. Recommended viewing!

Using this information, you can not only plant plants that like acidic soil in your garden and vegetable garden, but also support them with the right preparations for their normal growth and development.