North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Joe Hecksel" <jhecksel@voyager.net>]

Jim Fruth wrote:

>      Why do so many people believe the 'old wives tale' that pine 
needles and oak leaves make the soil acidic?

Take a look at the following website:
http://www.ar.wroc.pl/~weber/kwasy2.htm

An internet search on humic acid suggests that it forms during the 
decomposition of lignin.  Lignin is the "glue" that binds cellulose 
fibers and make wood, stems, leaves and needles rigid.  Lignin 
decomposes slowly.  So steeping the leaves/needles for a month in a 
beaker of water might seem like a long time, it is a very short time in 
geographical terms.

An alternate hypothesis is that more CO2 disolves in cool water.  That 
lowers the pH and increases the ground water's ability to dissolve 
cations.  People see the conifers growing in the sandy soil and assume 
they are the cause of the sandy soil.  Ditto for oak.  It is equally 
likely that the sandy soil caused the conifers and oaks as they can be 
very drought and fire tolerant.

Is the red soil that southern pine grows in clay or sand?

-- 
Joe Hecksel
Personal Webpage http://my.voyager.net/~jhecksel