Acidic Soil and Annuals

9 years ago

Hi All - I just bought a house last falls with a huge yard and lots of gardens! A better part of the yard is shaded with 40-year-old maples, but in the center of the backyard are 4 very tall and scraggly pines. There were 5; but one was nearly dead and already down, so that actually gave me a bit of sun. My plan is to turn this area into my sunny annual garden over the next couple years, starting this year with a few annuals that can tolerate the acidity left by the pine trees. Any suggestions? I already have many flowers started by seed, among them several varieties of crawling vines. I've read that zinnias and foxglove would do well...any others?

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Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
you are making an assumption based on an old wives tale ...

acidity.. pH is a exponential function ... to SIGNIFICANTLY change ph ... you would probably need a mile deep pile of needles.. for a million years.. to affect that significant change.. think primordial rain forests with dinosaurs roaming thru such ...

to avoid failure.. due to said presumption ... get a professional soil text done.. and deal with what is really there ...

contact your county extension/soil conservation or Ag office.. and they will tell you how that can be done... should be around 10 bucks or so ... [i am sure the price went up since i had it done]

i had 10 40 foot pines removed.. and just planted whatever i wanted under them.. my presumption being.. ph would not be a SIGNIFICANT issue .. as on the rest of the 5 acres.. it is not an issue ...

BUT.. you will have other problems gardening there ... like.. highly compacted soil .. MAYBE a bit deficient in nutrients ...and all those darn roots to work around ... and in fact.. my sand.. was hard to water.. the first season.. as it had been a desert under those mature pines for the last decade or two ...

anyway ... get a soil test done.. no guessing... then choose your plants ...

and BTW .. i would just buy one of everything that struck my fancy .. within budget .. and just plant them ... none of this retentive making of lists .. what ends up working.. works.. never forget.. you wont be a real green thumb gardener.. until you kill.. EVERY PLANT >> THREE TIMES ... list or no list ...

good luck

ken
grabembythegreenthumb
Original Author
9 years ago
Wonderful! A better answer then I could have hoped for! I have killed; therefore I garden. Seriously, I have really learned trial and error is the best teacher...and what works one year doesn't necessarily work the next. I get a lot of friends who ask me how I learned to garden successfully (they only see the good) and my answer is usually that "I try not to think about it too much." But I was worried about my lack of sun and the pine tree area being the only area that will (eventually) be the sunny locale in my yard.
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
Laura, ken is correct about the pine/soil acidity misconception. As a matter of fact, pine straw is one of the most popular mulches in the south. We love the high shade under the tall southern pines.

He's also correct about getting your soil tested through your local county Extension office. They will give you instructions about how to collect a sample, give you a box or bag, and get it delivered to the university's soil lab.

If your state is one of the few that no longer do soil testing, the extension office will help you find a commercial lab. Don't rely on the little kits you can buy at the store.

Ken is not correct about killing every type of plant three times, but I think he's kidding. There's no reason to be such a slow learner, lol.

Acidic Soil and Annuals

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

grabembythegreenthumb
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Acidic Soil and Annuals

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

grabembythegreenthumbOriginal Author

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