What plants love acidic soil: a list of crops that grow and how to find out the indicators

To reap a rich harvest, the gardener must pay attention not only to plant care and disease prevention, but also to the composition of the soil. If crops, despite competent agricultural technology, begin to turn yellow and weaken, the reason is most likely the inappropriate acidity of the soil. Before starting garden work, you need to find out which cultivated plants love acidic soil, and which, on the contrary, prefer alkaline soil.

How to know if the soil is acidic

The acidity of the soil in a personal plot depends on the amount of free hydrogen ions accumulated in the ground.Most cultivated and ornamental plants do not like too acidic soil and do not develop well in it. Therefore, before sowing seeds or planting seedlings, it is necessary to conduct a soil analysis, for this it is not necessary to contact the laboratory, there are methods that can be used at home.

How to tell if the land is acidic:

• Visual inspection. The simplest method for determining acidity, in which it is enough to carefully look at the soil. The copper-red shade of the earth indicates a high degree of soil acidification.

• Weeds. Certain weeds prefer high acidity, so conclusions can be drawn from their presence on the site. For example, these are plants such as pike, horsetail, nettle, buttercup and oxalis.

• Litmus strip. Such strips are purchased in stores with garden goods, they give a high result of reliability. To carry out the analysis, it is necessary to take 20 grams of soil from a depth of 25 cm and pour it into a cloth bag. Immerse the sample for 10 minutes in distilled water. After this time, lower the strip into the solution and remove after 2 seconds. On a special scale, you can determine the degree of soil acidity.

• Table vinegar. They take some soil taken from a depth of 20 cm and water it with ordinary table vinegar. If bubbles or hiss appear on the ground after exposure to vinegar, this means that the soil in the area is neutral or alkaline. If no change is observed, the soil is acidic.

• Tea brewing. A pinch of soil from the site is placed in a glass of a drink brewed from whole leaves and mixed. In the event that the liquid has become lighter, this means that the soil in the garden is acidic. The absence of changes in the shade of the drink indicates an alkaline or neutral reaction.

Any handy method has a small margin of error and depends on the correctness of the procedure, accurate results can only be obtained in laboratory conditions.

Flowers that love acid soil

Ornamental plants that bloom throughout the summer also have their own requirements for the soil on which they are grown. Of the crops that prefer acidic soil, it is worth highlighting the following varieties.

Lupin

For the full growth of these flowers, soil with low acidity is ideal. At elevated rates, the soil must be limed by adding 5 kg of dolomite or lime flour per square meter of land.

Hydrangea

In slightly acidic soil, such varieties of hydrangeas as tree, paniculate and ashen grow well. But a large-leaved species is ideally suited for land with a pH of 4.

Peonies

For the full development of these flowers, soil with a pH of 6.0-7.0 is suitable. In addition, plants prefer moist soil, and in this case they delight with lush flowering. Do not use peat as a fertilizer, so as not to lower the acidity of the soil.

Garden poppy

The first thing you should pay attention to when planting garden poppies is the depth of groundwater. If they are too close to the ground, the plant will die fairly quickly from root rot.Increased acidity does not prevent the ornamental plant from developing, however, care must be taken to apply top dressings in a timely manner, to which the culture responds well.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are planted in early June, and throughout the summer the culture pleases the eye with rich green foliage and beautiful buds. To provide the plant with suitable conditions, it is necessary to choose a place where the sun's rays fall for most of the day, with slightly acidic and fertile soil.

Roses

The choice of soil for planting roses must be approached responsibly, these flowers develop well and please with large buds only in soil with indicators from 6 to 6.5. Therefore, before planting, be sure to test using a litmus strip. If the indicators do not correspond to the recommended ones, substances are added to deoxidize the soil.

Sunflower

This ornamental plant not only serves as a garden decoration, but also gives a crop of fragrant and tasty seeds. The culture prefers moist and slightly acidic soil with the presence of clay. On saline soils, the plant develops poorly and does not form large flowers.

Ground cover purslane

Bright sunny inflorescences of ground cover purslane for a season are able to braid the entire available territory and become a decoration of the site. However, for this it is necessary to provide the plant with suitable conditions - a sunny open area, slightly acidic soil and minimal soil moisture. With stagnant water, the culture begins to die.

Other

From other colors that prefer acidic soil, the following are worth noting:

1. Begonia, tradescantia and azalea grow well in slightly acidic soil.
2. Camellia and monstera take root in medium soils.
3. Cornflower, magnolia, fern and forget-me-not love high acidity.

Bushes and trees

Shrubs and fruit trees also have their own requirements for soil acidity, and under unsuitable conditions, reduce flowering and yield.

The list of crops that grow well in highly acidic soil includes:

1. Fruits - raspberry, Japanese quince, blueberry, apple tree, dogwood.
2. Decorative - juniper, buckthorn, rhododendron, birch, maple and acacia.

Indicators should be between 5.5 and 6.5. If planted on alkaline or neutral soil, these crops will develop slowly and will not please with a rich harvest and decorative appearance.

List of vegetables

Most vegetable shrubs do not develop well in acidic soil and die very quickly under the influence of pathogens. When planning to plant such crops in the garden, they must first carry out an analysis and determine the pH of the substrate.

There are several groups of vegetable plants, representatives of each of them react differently to the quality of the land:

• Ideally develop and bear fruit on soils with high acidity spicy greens and potatoes.
• Crops that need averages - pumpkin and carrots, tomatoes and radishes.
• Prefer slightly acid soil: melon, all legumes and eggplant.
• Categorically do not tolerate such a composition of the earth such crops as cabbage and table beet.

It must be remembered that it is possible to correct the substrate indicators only before planting seedlings or sowing seeds, otherwise unsuitable land will lead to weak and unviable sprouts.

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