North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>]

    A few weeks, or so, ago, someone proposed the hypothesis that
acid-loving plants don't need a low pH so long as sufficient nutrients are
abundantly available.  I asked someone who should know as much as anyone and
here is his reply:

I would tend to agree with the pH issue, except that the acid loving plants
are not capable of taking up nutrients unless the soil pH is acidic.
I have seen a lot of blueberry plants fail because the pH was too high even
though adequate nutrients were available for good plant health of other
plants.    Aluminum sulfate should probably be avoided.  Ammonium sulfate as
a nitrogen source will help keep
the soil pH lower too.
Happy New Year!
Dave
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David K. Wildung
Professor and Center Horticulturist
University of Minnesota