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Soil acidity(PH) recommendation for evergreens.
High quality Christmas tree production (blue spruce,
cedar, Fraser fi r, hemlock, Leyland cypress, Norway
spruce, Virginia and white pines) requires a properly
adjusted pH and an adequate supply of all essential
nutrients. Soil fertility promotes maximum tree growth
as well as desired dark green color and retention of
needles. Trees derive the most benefi t from lime and
fertilizer when applied at the appropriate time with
correct placement.
Soil pH and Lime
Soil pH affects availability of essential plant nutrients
as well as potentially acidic elements (aluminum,
hydrogen, manganese) that can be toxic to plant roots.
Lime raises soil pH by neutralizing acidity while
supplying calcium (Ca) and/or magnesium (Mg).
Lime is either calcitic (calcium carbonate) or
dolomitic (calcium magnesium carbonate). In North
Carolina, most commercially available lime is dolomitic.
Choose dolomitic lime when soil Mg levels are low, as
indicated by the number 25 in the Mg column of the
Recommendations section of the soil report.
All materials sold as lime in North Carolina are
regulated under the N.C. Lime Law. This law requires
that a ton (2000 lb) of dolomitic lime contain at least
6% (120 lb) soluble Mg.
The soil report lime recommendation is given
in tons/acre (T) to raise the pH to the desired target
(Table 1). Lime reacts faster and reduces soil acidity
more effectively if mixed into the soil to a depth of
six to eight inches. Typically, this can only be done
before establishing a new planting.
white pine, Virginia pine pH 5.5
Fraser fi r, hemlock,
Norway spruce
pH 5.8, establishment
pH 5.5, maintenance
Leyland cypress pH 6.0
blue spruce, red cedar pH 6.5
Above is from the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services website, http://www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/pdffiles/stnote5.pdf
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